No Second Chances
by xseriouslyx
Summary: What if Clockwork hadn't stepped in and rescued Danny's friend's and family after the battle in TUE? This story looks into what might have happened in the alternative timeline where Danny didn't get a second chance and he loses everything in the Nasty Burger Explosion.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello to all the Danny Phantom fans out there! Thank you for clicking on my story I know there are many great ones to choose from on this site. So you have clicked on mine for a certain expectation, I hope I can deliver!**

 **I have been playing around with this idea in my head for a while now, I'm sure it's not the most original but I thought I would give it a go anyway! So without further ado, I give you No Second Chances.**

 **()()()**

Clockwork had watched the events taking place before him. He was indescribably relieved that young Danny Fenton had successfully defeated and captured the dark persona of Phantom. He swooped down and retrieved the thermos which contained the evil ghost. It was lying next to an unconscious and severely injured Danny Fenton, who had just been deemed orphaned and friendless in the world as a result of this battle.

Clockwork frowned pityingly at the boy. Even though he was not awake somehow Clockwork could still see the expression of devastation in his face. The spirit of time felt horribly conflicted at this moment, for he knew he could have prevented the pain which Danny was soon to endure. He realised that he could have all too easily have paused the hands of time and rescued the victims of the explosion. After all, Danny had done the hard part, he had stopped the evil ghost from entering the time line. However he knew that the Observant's would not respond well should Clockwork had made such a drastic alteration to the time line events. They did not like him interfering on a low scale offence, unless of course it was instructed by them. Therefore for Clockwork to change something as serious as death could create an absolute uprising of the council against him. He would lose his position and be sentenced to a trial. And a trial commenced by the Observant's never ended well for the defendant.

Clockwork left the horrific scene, aware that the human authorities would be arriving soon to take care of things. He travelled back to his clock tower, and the entire time the feelings of guilt did not leave him. Clockwork rarely had feelings of remorse when it came to matters of the time stream. The only other time he could remember feeling this remorseful was twenty years ago, when he left a vulnerable Vlad Master's to suffer horrific side effects of turning half ghost. Just like Danny, Clockwork remembered how the Observant's had wanted Clockwork to kill Vlad as well. They claimed a half ghost was an abomination and should not be enabled to exist. However Clockwork had refused, on the grounds that Vlad's transformation would play an important role on the course of the time line, between both ghost and human world. Although Clockwork enabled Vlad to live, he did not prevent the emotional and physical pain and trauma which the first half ghost endured in his younger years, and when Clockwork ultimately saw the effects this had on the man, he had wished he had made an interference at the time.

As Clockwork securely stowed the all-important thermos, he tried to console himself with the fact that his decision had ultimately prevented the human and ghost worlds from certain destruction. He hoped that Danny Fenton would come through his ordeal, he knew the boy was strong and he hoped that would help him. He was regretful that he could not give the boy a second chance, but he could not give one to Vlad Masters either. Why was Danny any different?

()()()

A few days later, Danny finally opened his eyes. He regretted this involuntary action almost immediately. Within seconds he was hit with pain which he had never experienced before in his life. This pain was not so much physical, however. The pain came from the terrifying images called upon from Danny's memory, where he saw fire and smoke consume his frightened family and friends. Danny bolted up straight in his bed. He began to panic even further when he realised he was in a hospital. Why was he in a hospital? Surely it was just a horrific nightmare? He had hoped and prayed that this was true, and the fact that he was in hospital was completely unrelated.

The medical staff weren't long in noticing that Danny was awake. One of the kinder nurses tried to calm him down, whilst a stern doctor explained his injuries.

"Now listen Daniel, I'm afraid you have been involved in an explosive accident which took place at the Nasty Burger a few days ago. The impact from the explosion gave you a broken left arm and you required six stitches on your head."

Danny listened to the doctor, his breathing deep with fear. He hoped that the longer the doctor spoke about his injuries, the less likely worse news was to follow. The kind nurse was gently rubbing his right hand, hoping that the boy would remain calm. The doctor continued to speak.

"Now, you hit your head with such great impact that your brain started to swell a little. So in order to prevent any brain damage we put you in a medical induced coma, in hope the brain would reduce in swelling. Thankfully it did, and we took you off the machines this morning. You are a very lucky young man to have survived. However you are still in a very vulnerable state therefore it is important that you do not exert yourself, do you understand?"

Danny slowly nodded, not liking the fact that the doctor mentioned his luck around surviving. He could feel his panic levels rising again, someone really wasn't right. His parents should be here, they should be telling him all this. They should be telling him that they were lucky to still have him, and it should be his mom rubbing his hand out of love and relief, not this nurse who was doing it as a distraction to Danny. The doctor watched Danny as he appeared to be thinking things over. He figured while the boy was distracted he could leave, and let some other doctor deliver the news. He headed for the doorway.

"Wait!" Danny called after him.

The doctor slowly turned around, dreading for what he knew would come next.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Wh-where are my parents?" Danny asked almost pleadingly.

The doctor sighed inwardly and walked up alongside Danny's bed.

"I'm very sorry Daniel-"

"No! No…No…No…" Danny began tearfully, just from hearing the start of the doctor's sentence. He didn't want to hear anymore. But he did. As the kind nurse tried to shush him, the doctor continued on to tell him that the explosion had resulted in the instant deaths of Danny's parent's, his sister, two other fourteen year old pupils from Casper High, and his English teacher. The doctor barely finished his sentence before Danny collapsed on the bed, crying hysterically, unable to communicate anything other than "No." The doctor, who although was stern was still uncomfortable when people were this upset, left the room. The nurse stayed and continued to try and soothe Danny, she failed. Danny pretended that she wasn't there, he wanted to be left alone. If he couldn't have his friends or family then he didn't want company. Then, as he drifted into an exhausted sleep, he came to his own realisation. He didn't deserve any company, it was his fault they were gone.

()()()

This day had physically and emotionally drained Vlad Masters. He struggled with funerals at the best of times but he never dreamed that he would be attending the funeral of the woman he loved. When he heard of Maddie's death he felt a mixture of heartbreak and devastation. The person he loved most in the world, who gave him meaning to his life had been taken away forever. Although it was supposedly touching to bury the Fenton's as a family, Vlad felt somewhat bitter that the honoured memory of Maddie's life had been overshadowed by her daughter and Jack. Vlad knew deep down that some of his bitterness had stemmed from the fact that he had been robbed of the opportunity to kill Jack Fenton himself, and have had the chance to comfort his grieving widow.

Vlad did not care for when some of the attendee's spoke of Jack. Even in death the man irritated him. He was quite surprised by the number of people who had something good to say about Jack, or why he would be remembered. This only annoyed Vlad further, as he was certain there wouldn't be nearly this amount of people to speak in favour of him whenever his time came.

Vlad grew quite curious when the congregation brought their attention to Jasmine Fenton. Even Vlad would admit that it was quite tragic for someone so young to lose their life, and he didn't even care for Jasmine one way or another. However he became intrigued when all of her achievements were talked about, and how academically blessed she was. Vlad even found it somewhat touching when the high school choir sang a song for her. He never knew how gifted Jazz was, she sounded quite like her mother. Vlad smiled thinking how she must have made Maddie very proud.

It was only when Maddie was discussed that Vlad felt true sadness at the event. He felt that the world had played a cruel joke on him. He listened carefully to what all the people had to say about her. Only he could have felt that he she had been under-rated. It took him all of his restraint not to say a few words himself, for he knew if he did it would be difficult for him not to hint at his true feelings for her, or horribly insult her husband. And so it was with a very heavy heart that Vlad stood by Madeline Fenton's grave that afternoon, and said goodbye to his only true love.

As Vlad existed the cemetery he switched his cell phone on and was cross to see that he had received a missed call from the number saved as 'Daniel's doctor.'

"Curses!" He hissed under his breath.

Vlad quickly redialled the number, he could only presume that Danny had woken up since the doctors had informed Vlad yesterday that they were going to try to encourage his body to revive itself naturally. Although Vlad was pleased to hear that the doctors thought Danny's condition was improving, they couldn't have picked a worse day to do it.

After Vlad had spoken with the doctor he changed out of the clothes he had worn to the funerals and made his way down to the hospital. Having spent so many years as a patient himself, he never took a doctor's word for granted, He wanted to see just how "responsive" Danny really was. As he walked along the corridor to Danny's room he thought of what he was going to say to the boy. Vlad was all too aware of Danny's feelings towards him, at times he felt they matched his own for the boy. However he knew he needed to talk to him in a calm and rationale manner, in order to keep him safe at least. He just hoped that the boy's temper would allow him this.

When Vlad walked into the room, at first, he was glad not to see Danny hooked up to various tubes and machines. However, the sight before him was no less disturbing. Danny was curled up tight, his face was buried into the sheets and his breathing was heavy and somewhat shaken. Vlad hovered for a minute, unsure of what to do. He had never seen Danny like this, so vulnerable, so…broken. There was a time when he would have relished the very thought of witnessing weakness in Danny Phantom, but today was not one of them. Vlad sighed, then slowly approached the bed outreaching a hand to stir Danny with.

"Oh, are you sure you want to wake him?" Came a soft cooing voice from behind Vlad.

"Excuse me?" asked Vlad. Turning to see the nurse who had sat with Danny earlier on that day stood at the doorway.

"It's just that poor Daniel has had a tough day," she persisted, I really do think it would be best for him to get as much rest as possible."

Vlad turned away from her and looked closer at Danny,

"He's sleeping?"

Vlad hadn't realised this, he had thought the boy was crying. He didn't understand, the boy had been asleep for days on end, surely he would want to be awake?

"Yes. He went to sleep shortly after Dr Browning spoke with him. He's had a lot to take in and his body has been through a lot, the poor thing." The nurse cooed as she tucked some blankets into the bedside cabinet.

"I see." Vlad dryly responded, "I was hoping to speak with him. When do you suppose he will wake up?"

The nurse eyed Vlad, not caring for his tone or attitude.

"He hasn't been asleep for very long, and it is getting rather late." She replied looking at her fob watch, "Perhaps it could wait until tomorrow?"

"Perhaps." Vlad responded irritably, taking the nurse's strong hint.

He waited until she left again and then looked back at Danny. Vlad considered that the nurse may have had a point. It had been a long day for him and Danny didn't look as though he would make a good conversation even if he was awake. So with a heavy sigh Vlad turned on his heel and left the hospital, returning to the hotel in Amity Park where he was currently staying.

()()()

Danny was rudely awoken early the next morning by nurse who was roughly strapping a band around his arm to take his blood pressure. He moaned as the device started to uncomfortably squeeze his arm. Weren't nurses supposed to ask for permission before doing this? He properly woke up after she left, and all the memories flooded back again. Danny held his head in his hand as his eyes filled with tears. The guilt was as overpowering as the loss. Why couldn't he have stopped it? At this point in Danny's grief it hadn't crossed his mind on where the thermos containing his dark self had gone, who was paying his hospital bills, or even what day it was.

After what seemed like an eternity of crying, Danny dried his eyes and felt himself sink back into reality. What was he going to do without them? He sat up and looked around, he just couldn't imagine how life would go on without them. He wondered if the pain would ever leave him. This reminded him of what happened in the alternative future. Danny knew he couldn't go to Vlad. Not only because of what happened to his and Vlad's ghost half, but he simply couldn't imagine living with Vlad anyway. The man was his enemy for crying out loud! It doesn't matter how understanding of the situation Vlad could be it was going to happen. Not in Danny's head, he just couldn't take the risk.

Danny couldn't think of anywhere he wanted to be. Even the thought of anywhere in Amity Park was too much for Danny. Everything about it held memories and they were too painful to think about right now. Danny wasn't one for escaping his problems, but he wanted away. He couldn't heal in Amity Park, not with reminders everywhere of what had happened, what he'd done. Then he remembered. His Aunt Alicia. She lived out in the sticks, it would be the perfect place to go. He would be away from everything, he could rest, and best of all his Aunt was bound to leave him alone!

So that's it, Danny thought. He was to spend the remainder of his teenage years out in a forest with some hicks. He felt like he would cry again. As Danny was thinking this, there was a knock on the door. Danny lifted his head, and in walked a man he did not recognise.

"Um…Hi?" Danny said in a small voice. He was already nervous what did this man want?

"Good morning Daniel, my name is George Hindle. I was your parent's solicitor, I've come to discuss the contents of their joint will with you." The man said, his voice surprisingly perky. "Can I just say that I am terribly sorry for your loss."

"Uh-oh." Was all Danny could muster. He was not expecting this he didn't even know his parents had a will, but all the while he was inwardly telling himself to hold it together.

"Now then, the first thing outlined is very straight-forward. Your parents' wishes for all their belongings and estate was to be divided between you and your sister Jasmine. However since your sister is no longer with us, that leaves you the sole beneficiary." George explained. "Now as you're not an adult you can't legally claim it yet, I'm afraid. But you'll be able to access everything once you're eighteen.

"Oh." Danny replied. He didn't care about any of this stuff. In fact he just wanted this guy to leave, his eyes had already began to sting upon hearing Jazz's name.

"Right. Okay. Okay." George muttered as he flicked through the stapled pages. Danny glared at him, feeling his eyes turn green for a second. This guy was really annoying him, not to mention he seemed dead unprofessional. Danny grew increasingly impatient, he just wanted to leave and forget the whole thing.

"When I'm I going to live with my Aunt Alicia?" Danny asked.

George stopped flicking the pages and blinked at Danny from behind his crooked glasses.

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Alicia. My mom's sister. I'm pretty sure she's the only family I've got now." Danny responded sadly lowering his head, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Oh, she is." George answered, "But you won't be staying with her."

Danny looked up again. "Huh?"

"Well, she doesn't live near any schools and I don't believe that there are any private tutors out there somehow!" George chuckled, "That wouldn't do any good now, would it?"

Danny's jaw dropped. How could he possibly laugh at something like this?

"So who-who will I stay with?" Danny asked, now confused.

"Ah, well," George began flicking pages again, "As you know, you are a minor therefore you cannot live on your own…"

Danny nodded grimly, biting his lip to prevent himself from yelling at this guy. Off course he knew this, he wouldn't have asked if he didn't!

"Ah here it is!" George exclaimed, "It says here that in the event of the death of Jack and Madeline Fenton, guardianship of their children Jasmine and Daniel Fenton would go to one…Vladimir Masters."

Danny's eyes widened. "What?" He cried.

George jumped. "What?" He gasped, confused.

"Th-that can't be right! Let me see that!"

Danny reached out and snatched the papers from the startled lawyer. He reread the sentence George had just spoke, and there were his parent's signatures in black and white. He couldn't believe it, why would they do it? Well, he knew why his dad would do it, but his mom? Really? She didn't care for Vlad at all! Danny read on and saw the date. It had been recorded and signed not long after Pariah Dark had attacked Amity Park. It was then that everyone had truly feared for their lives. And if Danny could remember right, Vlad had told his parents that he had saved Danny that night outside of city hall.

Danny scowled. That's how he gained their trust!

George glanced nervously at Danny. "Um…Could I just have those back?" He asked reaching for the papers.

Danny pulled them towards him, crumpling them slightly in his right-hand grasp.

"I'm not living with Vlad Masters." Growled Danny, "I'll sleep on a park bench before I live with that fruitloop."

George blinked multiple times at the boy from behind his glasses. This was not the response he was expecting. "Uh…Well…Well…I-ah-"

"Ah, Daniel. Good to see you're awake my boy." Came a voice from the doorway.

Both George and Danny's head turned to face Vlad. He began to approach the bed.

"Get away Vlad!" Danny yelled angrily, not caring that his family's strange lawyer was in the room, "I don't want you here and I'm not going with you!"

"Oh no, not today you're not, Little Badger." Vlad replied calmly in an almost soothing voice, "You're not well enough to leave the hospital yet."

"I mean I'm not living you. Ever." Danny growled.

The lawyer shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, not knowing where to look. Vlad gave him a disgusted glance.

"Why don't you clear back off to Wisconsin, Cheesehead!" Danny snapped again, "Sorry for a wasted journey but you're not taking me with you."

"Oh now Danie,l that temper of yours!" Vlad scoffed. "You'll get used to the idea my boy, and it wasn't a wasted journey. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't attend the funerals of my oldest and dearest friends?"

Danny looked at Vlad again, had he heard right? "Funerals?" He asked.

"Hm? Why yes, their funerals took place yesterday. It was a lovely send off for them Daniel I'm sure they would have-Daniel? Are you alright?" Vlad asked the boy, not finishing his sentence when he caught sight of Danny's face.

Danny's head was lowered slightly, probably due to the weight of all the thoughts flying around his head. He had missed the funerals? What kind of son and brother was he? How was he going to say goodbye? Danny didn't even realise he was crying until a tear dropped on to his hand. As he looked at it, a comforting hand was sat on his shoulder. Danny looked up and saw Vlad towering over him, a seemingly solemn expression on his face. However, as Danny watched him more carefully he could see the beginnings of a smirk which he knew all too well. Danny knew this was it, Vlad now knew that ultimately he had finally won.

()()()

 **Ok there you have it guys! Please review, I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, plus I'm thinking of making this a one-shot. Let me know if I should continue it into a story or leave it as it is. Tell me what you want! Until next time you lovely people!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, I've decided to continue on with this story, I felt I left it with too many open ends for it to be a one shot! I would like to say a big thank you to all who have favourited and followed No Second Chances already, you are too kind! Also I really appreciate the reviews, they are a great motivator!**

 **And with that, my friends, I give you chapter two…**

 **()()()**

Danny lay curled up in the hospital bed, wallowing in his own grief and self-hatred. Had he truly missed the funerals? How was he supposed to say goodbye now? To apologise for failing them, and not being able to save them? Of course, it had not been medically possible for Danny to have attended the funerals of his family and indeed, his best friends. However with Danny, his hero complex would not allow him to give himself this defence. In his mind, he did not deserve any comfort. In a way he hoped that Vlad had made it up, that he had just told him this tale to shut him up and prevent him from screaming off into an uncontrollable tantrum in front of the solicitor. But surely if it had have been untrue the lawyer would have corrected it? And even Vlad wouldn't lie about something as important as the funerals, would he?

Vlad. Danny scrunched his body tighter out of anger and shame, why had he let himself cry in front of Vlad? If the older halfa hadn't thought of him as weak before he must do now, Danny thought. At least he hadn't fell to pieces in front of Vlad like he had done with the nurse and doctor when he first woke up, he was already struggling to live with himself without adding something like that to his list of 'reasons why I wish I were dead too.' He had already lost count of how many he had come up with in his head.

Danny sighed, what did it matter what Vlad thought anyway? Realistically he was no longer a threat, everyone he cared about gone so there was no one left for Vlad to hurt except for him. And Danny didn't care what would happen to him anymore, just so long as he didn't end up living with the fruitloop! Danny's right hand grasped the bed railing and squeezed it out of anger. In what universe was Danny being placed in Vlad's care a good idea? Danny had meant what he had said, he would live on the streets before live with Vlad in Wisconsin. And he was prepared to fight for his freedom from that man, no matter what authority figure in the social care system he would have to face to get that point across.

Danny sat up on the bed when he heard voices outside of the door, hoping that whoever it was they wouldn't come in and disturb his depressive brooding. He grunted irritably when he realised it was only Vlad talking to Mr Hindle, the idiot lawyer. Having said that, Danny had been grateful to that idiot lawyer just a short time ago, when he asked if he could speak privately to Vlad regarding some 'other important legal matters.' Danny scoffed, it was likely just about payment of his legal fees! He probably just wanted to exist the room, realistically. No one really knows what to do when an injured and angry teenager starts to cry. Still, it got rid of Vlad and give Danny time on his own, and he was more than grateful for that.

()()()

"Yes, yes I'll be sure to send a cheque to your office!" Vlad spat angrily. He was not impressed that the Fenton's lawyer had pulled him from Danny's room at such a crucial moment, to simply discuss his payment! Although Vlad didn't know the first thing about comforting grieving teenagers, he saw a brief window of opportunity to use Danny's sadness to talk him round. However, that would have been tainted by having the less than professionally capable Mr Hindle present in the room anyway. Vlad couldn't understand how he was still droning on, surely the man had other things to occupy his time? Vlad knew he did. Which was why his attention was redirected to a nurse who just passed them in the hall and entered Danny's room. It had been the same nurse who advised that he not wake Danny last night. Vlad frowned, if he hadn't have listened to her he probably would have made some sort of break-through by now with Daniel. He looked back to the more than irritating lawyer, deciding that his time would come soon enough. He knew if he was nothing he would still be a patient man.

Danny looked up fearfully when the door opened, and sighed with relief when he saw the nurse who had been kind to him yesterday come in and greet him with a smile.

"Good morning Daniel, how are you feeling today?" she asked sweetly as she set a tray down on the bedside locker.

Danny sighed and lowered his head slightly so as not to meet her gaze. It's not that he wanted to be rude, but he feared that if he started a conversation with her he may break down again as a result of her more than likely to be comforting. Plus, he didn't feel that he deserved her kindness. The nurse smiled with a knowing nod and continued on.

"That's alright sweetheart, you don't have to talk to me. I understand that we all need our quiet moments, and it just doesn't do us any good to see anyone. However, I am obliged to change your bandages and clean your wounds so as you don't get an infection. Would you be alright if I did that? I promise to be as gentle and as quick as I can!"

Danny hesitated for a moment but then nodded to the nurse to go ahead. He knew that if he declined her now he would only be disturbed by someone else later, or Vlad would try to interfere or who knows what. The nurse gently unwrapped the used bandages, and started to dab the first open wound with wet cotton wool. The initial sting came as a shock to Danny.

"Ouch!" He winced.

"Sorry honey." The nurse said genuinely.

"It's okay," Danny replied, "It's not that bad."

The nurse smiled at him. Danny wasn't sure but there was something about this nurse that made him want to pour his heart out to her. Her mannerisms, her kind voice, her bight, happy eyes. Danny realised that she reminded him a little of his mother. He smiled into himself when he read her name tag: 'Mandy.' Mandy was as good as her word, and had Danny cleaned and re-bandaged in a flash.

"There you go my lovely, all finished!" She beamed, "Now is there anything else you need or would like? You know you're such a good patient, I haven't heard your buzzer go once! You do know you have one, don't you?"

"Um, yeah. I do. No I-I don't need anything. Thanks." Danny replied, hesitantly.

"Okay hon, I'll leave you in peace then." Mandy said as she lifted her tray and proceeded to leave.

"Uh, wait…" Danny mumbled as she was a step away from the door.

Mandy turned around again. "Yes?"

"I-I missed their funerals!" Danny blurted out, "Am I a bad person?" He couldn't help it, he had to tell someone and hear their advice. Normally Sam and Tucker would be the go to's in situations like this, but sadly Danny's sad dilemma included them too.

"Oh sweetheart," Mandy said sympathetically, as she set the tray back down and sat in the armchair next to the bed. "Of course you're not a bad person! How can you say that? Why, it was only yesterday that you woke up from a coma, and you're still recovering from quite severe injuries! And let me tell you something hon, people miss funerals for much less than that!"

Danny shook his head whilst trying to fight back his tears. "But they were my family, my friends…I didn't get to say goodbye. I miss them so much!" He choked out.

Mandy nodded and rubbed his arm. "I know, and you'll always miss them. But you're beating yourself up over something which you had no control over, do you think they would want you to be so upset over something like this? And you wouldn't be saying goodbye anyway, for you can't say goodbye to people who will always be with you and will never forget."

Danny looked up at her, finding her kind eyes and sweet words very comforting. He tried to let what she had said sink in, though his guilt was making this difficult. He wanted to see them so bad, even if it meant it was beside their gravestones. He wanted to be close to them again.

"Thank you." Danny whispered. Mandy knew that Danny needed some time on his own, she smiled at him again and left to finish her rounds. Danny sat up in his bed, thinking hard. He knew that what Mandy had said was right, and it had helped him get rid of some of his guilt. However, he still wanted to be there, to talk to them, to ask for forgiveness. And he couldn't do it here. Danny knew that it would be easy for him to leave the hospital and fly to the cemetery,, even though he was weak from his injuries. He realised that now would be the time to act, when he was on his own at last.

Danny wasted no time and skipped thinking logically about this rash decision. He turned intangible on the bed and was about to fly out of the building when he saw Vlad's coat hanging over a chair by the door. He had taken it off and set it there before he left earlier with Mr Hindle. Danny returned to his human form and walked over to retrieve the coat. He shuddered as he wrapped it around him, his broken left arm making this difficult. By no means did he want to wear an item of Vlad's clothing, but he would look much less suspicious at first glance wearing a long dark coat in a cemetery rather than just a hospital gown. Once Danny had the coat draped around him, with great effort he transformed again and finally exited the hospital. With no intention of returning at that.

()()()

Vlad was on the verge of ecstatic from relief when Mr Hindle finally relented and left the hospital. Vlad wasn't sure if he had ever encountered a man who was so un-knowingly slow and idiotic! Then he chuckled to himself thinking, of course he did! Jack Fenton! Obviously it made sense, only he would hire a man like that to take care of his legal matters.

Vlad sighed as he pushed open Danny's door, he'd better watch that he not make comments like that to the boy, it would be understandable that Danny would be a little sensitive about something like that right now...Vlad's mouth dropped when he saw that's Danny's bed was empty.

"Daniel?" Vlad called. Naturally, there was no answer. He knocked the bathroom door and did the same again. Vlad then opened the door as a precaution, and of course the room was empty.

"Butter biscuits!" Vlad growled, "Where could that little rat have gone?" He wondered if one of the doctors had taken him out for a scan or test of some sort, but then he would have seen them leave as he had only been in the corridor the whole time. In fact, it had only been a few minutes ago that Vlad had seen the nurse come out of the room. Then Vlad smiled, it was possible that the teenager had turned intangible as a means of hiding from Vlad. It would be effective, as neither of them can sense one another whilst they are intangible. However, Vlad knew that if this was the stunt Danny was pulling, it wouldn't last very long because Danny's weak human half would soon drain the energy he needed to do so.

Vlad chuckled, "Have it your way, my boy. I can wait." He sat down on the chair next to the door looking towards the bed, smiling at thin air. He then moved to lift his cell phone out of his coat pocket. But where was his coat? Vlad stood up, confused. He knew that he'd left the coat there, so where did it-

"Oh no!" Vlad growled, "He didn't!" Vlad knew that only Danny could possibly have the coat, and since neither were in the room, Vlad came to the correct conclusion that Danny had taken it in order to leave the hospital.

"How could he be so stupid?" Vlad snapped, knowing that the younger halfa had put himself in danger, giving his current health conditions. Vlad knew better than to report this to hospital staff, it would be too suspicious that no one had seen him leave. Besides, it would be easy for Vlad to get him back. After the conversation they had had that morning, Vlad had a fair idea of where he'd be.

()()()

Danny stood next to the graves, one beside the other; Jack, Madeline and Jasmine Fenton. Danny had not been to Sam or Tucker's graves yet, they were buried in different churchyards. At least Danny thought they were, Vlad hadn't mentioned whether or not their funerals had taken place, he could only assume they had.

At least Vlad had been right about one thing, the gravestones and displays were truly lovely, and honourable to their memory. The gravestones were black marble with nice gold imprinting, each with a kind message regarding each of the Fenton's. Sitting neatly on Jack's grave was a display of orange lilies. Danny smiled, they reminded him of Jack's orange jumpsuit. On Maddie's there were equally beautiful white lilies. Even in death it would appear as though Jack and Maddie were to be a match, even though they were a little different from one another. And lastly, on Jazz's grave there was a lovely display of jasmines.

Danny sighed sadly, and took in a shaky breath. He was trembling, although he wasn't sure if it was from grief or coldness. He was very grateful to have the fruitloop's coat at this moment. Danny kneeled down, next to the graves and looked at them as though he were looking at the people they remarked.

"I'm sorry." Danny whispered, "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have saved you, I tr-I tried so hard!" He cried, choking on his words. He didn't even try to stop the tears from flowing, he just kept going.

"Please forgive me," he begged, "I love you all so much. I just wish I could have been the hero you deserved…"

"You were, Daniel."

Danny froze. Could it be? He turned his head and saw Vlad looming in the shadows, leaning against the tree which sheltered the three graves lovely. Danny glared at him. How dare he follow him here? Vlad, who was in human form also, pulled a handkerchief from his front pocket and reached it to the boy. Danny chose to ignore this gesture.

"What are you doing here Plasmius?" He spat at the man. Danny's anger had overwhelmed him, his dislike for the man could stand alone but the fact that he had not let him alone to grieve had truly infuriated him.

"Oh what do you think I'm doing here Daniel?" Vlad snapped back, retracting his previous kind gesture and mirroring the boy's angry response, "I'm hardly out for a stroll on this bitter freezing cold January afternoon now, I'm I?"

"Well get out of here! Why can't you just leave me alone? Can't you tell that you're the last person I want to see right now?"

"It hardly matters what you want when you're clearly not thinking straight Daniel. I believe it's fairly obvious that you're grief has overshadowed any little common sense or logical thinking that you may have had beforehand."

"Oh so what, because I'm sad that my family and friends' are dead I can't be trusted to think and make my own decisions? Get lost Plasmius, what would you know about human feelings anyway? It's not like you have a heart!" Danny hissed at him, giving him a venomous stare.

Vlad glared at his young so-called charge. That last remark really stung. How could Danny say he didn't have a heart? Everything he did was because had a heart, and he was simply following its desire. The same as what Danny did, what he was doing right now.

"Listen Daniel, you can hurdle insults at me all day long if you wish, but the fact of the matter is, heartless or not, I do happen to understand something about what you're going through. It's clear that your irrational and reckless behaviour is the result of your heart breaking. And I know it's painful, and I know you're doing what you're doing to try to make that pain go away. But it won't, Daniel. Doing stupid things and putting yourself at risk will not take the pain away, only time will." Vlad said to the boy in a calm tone.

Danny had listened, but he didn't like what he had heard. What did Vlad know anyway? Anything he said or did was bad news! That didn't stop Danny from taking to heart some of the things Vlad had just said. It was like they were fuel which flamed the hurt, and the hurt was coming out from Danny now, in the form of tears and sobs.

Vlad watched the boy pityingly. He hadn't meant to upset him so. He only wanted him to understand, to try and make him see sense, and hopefully talk him back into returning to the hospital. Seeing him now distraught and shivering in the cold, Vlad knew that he had to get Danny back, before he became very ill from the cold. Vlad leaned down in front of Danny and gently took his arm.

"Come Daniel," He said gently, "Let's get you back to the hospital now, hm?"

"No!" Danny yelled at him fiercely, pulling his arm away with force, "You can't make me go with you, I won't!"

Vlad sighed, if he knew Danny Fenton like he thought he did, he knew this would not go down without a fight. A fight which he knew the boy was physically unable to compete in.

()()()

 **Well there you go guys! Please give me a shout and let me know if you liked it or not. Oh, and FYI, I got my inspiration for Danny's from a nurse who worked with me whenever I had to stay in hospital for a bit. I felt Danny could also use someone like her! Chao for now!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all you lovely people out there! I would just like to say very quickly, (again!) a big thank you to everybody who is following/favouriting/reviewing or even taking time to read No Second Chances. I have been pleasantly surprised by the positive reception to this story, and your support means a lot so cheers everyone!**

 **I give you…chapter three!**

 **()()()**

Vlad Masters was all too familiar with the concept of being 'the bad guy.' Normally, he couldn't care less how others perceived his actions. However, even he felt the aversion of towering over an injured, grieving child in a cold and empty graveyard in a threatening manner. As always though, Vlad didn't doubt what he had to do. He was convinced that Danny was not in a stable mind-set, and was sure he had been blinded by his grief. Vlad was prepared, by any means necessary, to return Danny to the hospital. His priority right now was to keep his young rival safe. He had promised Maddie that much.

Danny Fenton glared up at him angrily, his eyes still shiny from tears. He didn't think he had felt more hatred for Vlad Masters before than what he did at this minute. How dare he come here and try prevent Danny from saying goodbye to his loved ones? Did the man truly lack such basic moral decency? Danny wiped his eyes with his arm and forced himself to his feet. He then then looked the older man straight in the eyes, only inches away from his face. Vlad raised his eyebrows, clearly intrigued.

"Leave. Now." Danny said to him coldly. Vlad was more than shocked at the teen's words and actions. Wasn't it only a few moments ago that the same boy had been huddled on the ground sobbing his heart out with grief? Now he was stood up straight making demands, in an almost threating tone. Vlad leaned back slightly, putting some distance between himself and Danny. He would have to be careful with how he would handle the situation, for he didn't want the boy to become uncontrollably angry and end up doing something which could consequently lead to another injury. Now Vlad would consider himself a charismatic man, but how was he going to convince a stubborn teenager who despised him, to say the least, to leave the graves of his recently deceased family members and return with him to a hospital?

"Daniel, I-" Vlad was cut off mid-sentence, due to being met by a green ecto-blast strewn by Danny. The attack knocked Vlad backwards a few feet, but did little other than stun him. Vlad could tell that the blast had been weak, which did not reflect well on Danny's physical health.

"I said leave, Plasmius!" Danny told him more forcefully, "I don't wanna hear anything else you have to say. Just go!"

Vlad looked over to the boy, but stayed kneeled on the ground. He hoped this would help him come across as less intimidating. He could tell that Danny was unsure of actions, of what control he currently had of his powers. He could see the uncertainty in the boy's eyes, it was almost a mild expression of fear. Vlad knew Danny couldn't hold out much longer, his body was begging for rest. He had to make him see sense.

"Get this straight Daniel, I am not leaving here without you." He told the teen firmly. Danny scowled at him, not caring for this response. He visibly squeezed his fists in anger.

"Then I'll make you!" He cried, throwing two more ecto-blasts at the man. Naturally, Vlad was prepared for this and easily protected himself by forming an ecto-shield. Danny's blasts had hit it with hardly any force, the younger hybrid took in a quick gasp of panicked air upon seeing this.

Vlad evaporated his shield and said to his charge, "Daniel can't you see that you are not strong enough for this? Keep it up and you're going to pass out from exhaustion! Now please, stop making things difficult for the both of us and let's go."

"No! I told you I'm not going with you I'm staying here. With them…" He said, turning back towards the graves. Vlad had noticed that his voice was shaken with emotion this time. It sounded like the boy was going to cry once more. Vlad sighed, he really didn't want to see Danny become upset again. He watched fearfully as the teen carelessly dropped himself down beside the family plot, and began to rearrange the flower displays. Intrigued by this odd behaviour, Vlad stood up and slowly walked closer to where Danny was sat.

"Little badger, what exactly are you doing?" Vlad asked, in a much softer tone.

"I thought I told you to go away!" Danny snapped back, ignoring the question.

"And I thought I told you that I came here to take you back to the hospital." Vlad retorted sharply, although he was bemused by Danny's unusual deed. "Can't this wait for another time? When you're feeling better?"

Danny continued on in silence, having not responded to Vlad's questions and overall trying to pretend that he wasn't there. Vlad stayed beside him for a few minutes, simply watching what he was doing. Never had he seen such strange behaviour from Danny. At least now he could say he was safe and wasn't going to put himself at risk. Vlad was relieved when he saw the teen's movements getting slower and his eyes getting droopy, at least Vlad now had a window of opportunity to get Danny out of the cold. He smiled triumphantly.

"Come now, Daniel." Vlad said, gently catching the boy's wrist, "That's enough, it's time to leave." Danny looked at him miserably, realising he had no energy left at all to fight against this proposal.

"No." He called out, as Vlad yanked him to his feet. Danny swayed slightly, his leg muscles struggling to hold him. Vlad watched him as he practically dangled off his grasp, wondering if he would have to carry him as they flew. Vlad changed into his alter-ego, Danny automatically pulled back.

"Can you change Daniel?" Plasmius asked.

"I don't want to." Danny replied stubbornly, "I want to stay here".

Plasmius sighed at his obstinacy, "Whether you want to or not is irrelevant. Now change into your ghost half or I'll simply drag you back to the hospital myself."

Danny yanked his hand away as a final statement of his defiance, almost sending himself to the ground with the force from his movement. Plasmius glared at him.

"Have it your way then!" He snapped, grabbing Danny quickly around the torso and hauling him over his shoulder. Before Danny could get the chance to protest, Plasmius proceeded to fly. It took just over a minute to reach the hospital at the speed Plasmius flew at, although it seemed much longer to him with Danny trying to kick and squirm with objection. It seemed longer again for Danny due to his degradation regarding the whole thing. When Plasmius entered Danny's hospital room, he gently dropped the struggling boy on to the bed and changed back into his human form. Danny scowled at the older man angrily, his face flushed.

"Who do you think are? You had no right to do that!" Danny yelled, whilst trying to pull off Vlad's coat. This proved to be quite difficult due to Danny's left arm being contained in a cast. Vlad leaned forward to help him, only to be rebuffed by the mortified teenager.

"I think you will find that as your legal guardian I do happen to have a right to inflict certain matters upon you." Vlad told him smugly, "From transferring you to a safer, more contained environment, right down to punishing you within reason."

Danny threw the discarded coat forcefully at Vlad in anger, "I don't care what that crack-pot lawyer says! You will never have any claim to me, legal or otherwise!" With that statement Danny threw himself back on the bed in a sulk and turned away from the older halfa. Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's dramatic outburst.

Danny had fallen asleep within a matter of minutes, of which Vlad had predicted as much. He felt a pang of guilt as he watched him sleep, he really hadn't wanted to distress Danny so much earlier. It was rather frustrating when the boy refused to believe that he had simply been trying to help. Vlad had become really concerned with how Danny had acted in the cemetery, his behaviour seemed to go above and beyond that of normal grieving. His response to Vlad was one thing. Vlad fully understood that Danny had a strong dislike towards him and his reactions to him were quite normal. However, the older man could not understand at all what on earth Danny had been thinking when he was moving the lilies and jasmines.

()()()

Skulker grinned triumphantly as he exited Axon Labs late that same evening, having successfully obtained all the components necessary to begin updating his weaponry. It had been the first time in a long time were he had completed a heist without being delayed by ghost hunters, the Guys in White, or more importantly the incredibly aggravating Danny Phantom. Skulker couldn't believe his luck really, he had made a note that as of recently Amity Park had appeared to have let its guard down in relation to combatting against ghosts. That didn't concern him much however, what pleased him was the fact he was on track to improve his game.

"Excellent." He stated with emphasis whilst rummaging through his sack of stolen loot, "I can finally increase the firing force on my ecto-ray gun.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but wasn't that your intention when we last spoke Skulker? Dear dear, you are falling behind!" Called a mocking voice.

Skulker looked up with a glare to meet the individual who insulted him. However, this quickly changed into a menacing smile. "Ah, Plasmius. Come to get your fill as well? I would recommend any looting you are planning you do it now, that wretched ghost whelp appears to be slacking these days." Skulker said to his half-hybrid employer, referring to Danny Phantom.

"I am well aware." Plasmius said, as he flew closer to the mechanical ghost.

Skulker grinned menacingly at the hybrid, "What did you do to him Plasmius? I might have known you'd be behind it, so where is he? Chained to a table in your lab?"

"No you idiot! I've done no such thing to the ghost child." Plasmius snapped.

"Well someone has, Plasmius. He's gone. Along with his two pesky human associates and human family." Skulker stated, "Have they moved?"

"No Skulker you mechanical moron they've died!" Plasmius retorted angrily.

"Died?" Skulker cried out of shock, "What do you mean he died, how did he die? Who got him?"

"Not the ghost child Skulker, just his family and friends," Plasmius told him, "They were killed in an explosion a few days ago which was down to human error, surprisingly."

"That makes more sense," Skulker replied in an uncaring tone, "I wouldn't have thought that would've been enough to take down that stubborn ghost brat. What's going to happen to him now then?"

"He's currently in the hospital receiving treatment for his injuries."

"Is he now…" Skulker replied darkly, his eyes almost glowing with an evil hue. Plasmius watched Skulker carefully, already almost regretting his decision to tell the mechanical ghost anything. Suddenly Skulker flew off in a hyper speed. Plasmius sighed irritably, it didn't take a genius to guess where he was going. Plasmius flew after him and once in target range, fired an ecto-ball which hit the ghost hunter with extreme force and knocked him to the ground in an empty ally-way. Plasmius landed a few feet in front of him.

"Don't you dare even think about touching him Skulker!" Plasmius shouted at the ghost, "I didn't tell you all of this for you to respond in a free for all attack on the ghost boy."

Skulker picked himself up and glared at his employer, "What are you talking about Plasmius? The pup annoys you more than anyone, and as soon as the other ghosts find out he's dead meat anyway. At least I'll make it quick for him, the quicker the skinning the neater the result!"

"Forget it! And the others won't find out. I believe his ghost half will ensure a faster recovery for him anyway. At least that's what I can say from experience, and he is already showing good progress." Plasmius said, thinking of how fast Danny came around after the coma and head injuries.

Skulker gave the half ghost a quizzed look, "Why do you care if he recovers? Why did you tell me anything if you wish for him to recover at all?"

"Because I am your employer and I am telling you now that if you so much as lay a finger on Daniel, I will make you regret it for the rest of your afterlife." Plasmius threatened him, whilst playing with a ball of ecto-fire in his hand.

Skulker couldn't believe how crazy Plasmius sounded right now. He raised his eyebrows in disbelieve, "I don't get you Plasmius, we have dreamed for this opportunity for months and now you tell me to back off? What is going on? And who the blazes is this Daniel?"

"The ghost child, you idiot!" Plasmius roared at him.

"Oh. It's just the human children usually called him Danny, or 'dude.' Me, I generally prefer whelp!" Skulker chuckled.

"Will you shut up?" Plasmius snapped, "Now listen, I need you to do something for me."

Skulker smiled, "What's that then?" He enjoyed working for Plasmius, the tasks were simple and the rewards were immense.

"I need you stay around my castle in Wisconsin for a few days. I've had to attend to business here for a while and will have to continue to do so. I need you to protect my lab from intruders. You know yourself I have gadgets and maps in there which I do not want dispersed around the Ghost Zone."

Skulker nodded. He knew this all too well, as he had obtained or created many of the valued possessions in Plasmius' lab. They had cost the half ghost dearly! "I think I can manage that." Skulker responded, "What shall I do with any trespassers?"

"Whatever you like. Just keep those meddlesome ghosts out of my home!" Plasmius snapped. If there was one thing he disliked about the ghost universe, it was the fact that many ghosts felt the right to come and go wherever they liked and as they pleased. Naturally, he and Danny were no exception!

"Sounds like this could be fun!" Skulker grinned, his blade glowing. "Can I ask though, what exactly is your business here? This town is a little backwater for your taste isn't it?"

"It's not the town I have to attend to." Plasmius responded offhandedly.

"It's the ghost child?" Skulker prompted mildly.

"Hm."

Skulker pulled a face, "Plasmius, you need to stop with the whelp. He's not worth the effort!"

"Says you!" Plasmius accused, "Skulker you've pined for him as a prize since day one!"

"At least I don't pine for him as a son." Skulker retorted, "Plasmius, just because he no longer has a family will not change his views about you. He is still going to refuse you as a mentor and a father."

"He doesn't have a choice this time Skulker!" Plasmius said with zeal, "His parents have actually signed a legal document stating that the boy be left in my custody in the events of their death. So I now have him where I want him. I win!"

Skulker smirked at Plasmius, "You don't think he'll fight you on this?"

"Of course he will." Plasmius smirked back, "He wouldn't be the same feisty teenaged half ghost if he didn't now, would he? He'll come around Skulker, I'm sure of that. I'm a very patient man."

"I don't know, Plasmius. I think the whelp is just more trouble than what he's worth." Skulker replied.

"Maybe so. But then again, he's not going to be worth your trouble ever again Skulker, is he?" Plasmius smiled.

"What do you mean?" Skulker frowned.

"Have you not listened to a word I've said? I now have a legal claim to Daniel. In human authorisation terms I now practically own him. That means Skulker, I am hereby warning you that he is off limits to your hunting and to any other malice ghost who doesn't wish to answer to me!" Plasmius responded fiercely.

Skulker sighed, understanding the implementations to Plasmius' threat. He was secretly disappointed, he got a real thrill at the thought of hunting down and claiming the ghost child as his prize. However, Plasmius was right, he had got there first and he had won. In some strange human loophole, he had won. But he knew that realistically, Plasmius probably had wanted it the most.

"So do we have a deal Skulker? Will you protect my castle during my absence?" Plasmius asked, changing the subject.

"Sure. When do I start?"

"Immediately."

Skulker scowled at this answer, so much for his plans not being delayed! Plasmius smiled at the mechanical ghost's expression.

"If you're too busy I could always find Fright Knight and see if he's available!" Plasmius quipped.

Skulker clenched his jaw. There was no way he was letting that suck up, posh excuse of a ghost take his employability credit! "I'll do it." He said grimly, "Consider your castle secure!"

With that last comment, Skulker fired up his jets and blasted off. Plasmius smiled as he watched him. That was one less problem he had to deal with. As he left to return to his hotel accommodation for the night, he thought about the other ninety-nine problems floating in his head. All of which had a key word in common: Daniel.

()()()

 _Danny felt a horrible, clenching fear within him. He was walled in, like a grey and white maze, unsure of where he was. He tried to go ghost, but his body denied him of this. It felt as though he couldn't muster the ecto energy together to achieve this. So he ran. He ran for what felt like forever, trying to escape this maze, trying to outrun this feeling of terror. He finally saw an opening, and he ran towards it. However, as he drew closer he saw something. There was a small group of people, and they were gathered around…a small tower? As he finally fully approached it the image became clear, much to Danny's horror: He saw the group of people take the form of his mom, dad, Jazz, Sam and Tucker, and lastly, Mr. Lancer. The small tower shaped itself into the overheated boiler from The Nasty Burger, and they had not been gathered around it, but were tried to it._

" _Danny!" Jazz cried, "Save us!"_

" _Yeah man, hurry!" Tucker called out._

" _Danny, please!" Sam shouted, before her mouth was magically gagged. No one else called out next because of this reason. Danny watched the warning meter arrow fall closer to the end of the red rating._

" _No!" He cried, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He ran as fast as he could, still desperately trying to call upon his transformation rings, but they would not appear. The arrow on the meter had reached its limit and was now jolting back and forth with pressure. Danny then heard an evil laugh, followed by, "You're too late to save them!"_

" _NO!" Danny cried seconds before the explosion took place before him. He watched as flames consumed his loved ones and teacher, his heart pounding fast and his eyes wide with horror. With last-ditch efforts some of them out reached their hands to Danny, Sam's hand actually started tugging his shirt. He looked to his mother who had fallen to the ground in weakness, she looked at him, her eyes sad. Her mouth was now free to speak as the silencer had been burned away._

" _Help." She whispered with her last remainder of breath. Danny fell down with the shock of it all._

" _No!" He cried._

" _No!"_

" _No!"_

"No!"

"No!"

"Daniel!" Someone called. Someone else was pulling at him.

"Daniel, calm down. It's alright." He heard, just above his screams. Someone was gripping his arms really tightly, but he refused to focus on this. He continued to scream over the horror he had just witnessed, he could still see the flames, even smell the smoke. Suddenly, he was met with a harsh slap across the face. Danny opened his eyes in shock from the impact. He suddenly saw that he was no longer in the debris of the Nasty Burger, but on the floor somewhere in the hospital. He only knew this when he saw the unfamiliar nurses and doctor who had surrounded him, for he wasn't familiar with this area of the hospital. How did he get here? The only thing familiar to him was a very tired looking Vlad Masters, who was leaning down in front of him. Danny could only presume he had been the one to slap him back into reality.

Danny desperately tried to catch his breath, but could not. His breathing was very fast paced, in and out, it was like he could not control his lungs. He heard the doctor speak brief instructions to the nurses, before they pulled him on to his feet and proceeded to slowly and gently guide him back to his bed.

Vlad Masters had watched the whole display in complete shock. Naturally, as Danny's emergency contact, the hospital staff could only think to inform him at four o'clock in the morning that his charge had been missing. When he reached the hospital he was then told that Danny had been found unresponsive, roaming around in the other side of the building in a fit of panic. Vlad could not understand what had provoked this behaviour, did the boy have some sort of illness or fever? He turned around to face the doctor who, up until this point had had nothing to do with this case.

"Doctor, have you seen this behaviour before? Is there something wrong with Daniel? Is he ill?" Vlad asked desperately, as he was at a complete loss as to what he was supposed to do in this situation.

"I don't want to say anything set in stone, Mr Masters. Not until Daniel has been assessed a psychologist." She replied simply.

"A psychologist?" Vlad questioned, "You're referring Daniel to a psychologist?"

"Yes. I'll see if there's someone available to come and see Daniel tomorrow. If you are happy to give consent to this Mr Masters?" She asked.

"Well, I suppose so yes. But why do you think Daniel needs to be assessed by a psychologist? I mean I understand he is grieving from the loss of his family, but surely what's happened tonight has been the result of a viral infection of some sort?" Vlad asked hopefully.

The doctor smiled reassuringly at Vlad, "I understand you're worried Mr Masters, and I don't want to make any calls on this as I am not qualified to make this judgement. However, I'm concerned that panic attacks and night terrors for someone of Danny's age who has witness a distressing event, are representing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder."

"What?" Vlad cried out in disbelieve. Not Daniel. Surely he could cope with this, it would simply take him a few days to come to terms with the deaths.

"Try not to worry about it anymore tonight Mr Masters." The doctor said gently, "Why don't you go and see how Daniel is? I'm sure he'll feel more reassured if he sees you."

With that comment the doctor turned away and left Vlad, to continue with her rounds. Feel more reassured when he sees me? Yeah right! Vlad thought, as he began to walk through the hospital to Danny's room. He may as well see that he hadn't given the nurses too much trouble at least before he left. Had the doctor forgotten that Vlad had given Danny a fairly hard slap across his face just moments ago? He shuddered to think what the medical staff who were present must have thought when they saw Vlad do that? Surely it wouldn't matter? He only did it to bring Danny round and it worked, that was the main thing right?

Vlad tried to shove these thoughts to the back of his mind when he pushed the door of Danny's room open, it was lit by only a dim lamp. The nurses who had tended to Danny had left, leaving him curled up in the bed. They must have calmed him down for his breathing was better, though still very heavy and shaky. Danny turned around to see who had entered the room. Much to Vlad's surprise, Danny didn't turn away again or ignore Vlad's presence.

()()()

 **Wow, one of my longer chapters! I know this has been quite a dialogue-y chapter, sorry if that put anyone off. I just always liked the potential that Vlad and Skulker could have had in the show! I thought they deserved a good chat and who knows, it might be fun to add Skulker to the story! He's one of my favourite ghosts!**

 **Please don't forget to tell me what you thought, I aim to please and I don't know if I'm doing that if you guys forget to tell me where I'm going wrong! Thanks for reading!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again my fabulous readers! I know there has been a bit of a longer wait for this chapter I must apologise, life got in the way! I hope you understand!**

 **Anyways, on with the story! (Warning: In this chapter and here on out there will be strong references to post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.)**

 **()()()**

Danny gave Vlad a sceptical look when he realised it was him who had just entered his room and not another nurse. He was unsure how he felt about Vlad's presence, but he summed it up to be a mixture of anger and anxiety. After all, Vlad had done nothing but create chaos for the younger hybrid since the day he met him, and now he had the nerve to actually take over Danny's life. Danny had always held a strong dislike for Vlad, there was no doubt about this. However, the past two days Vlad's attempts to control his every waking moment had sickened him, and Danny could now feel the hatred bubbling inside of him, especially as he was not at this time physically able to fight against Vlad. Danny didn't believe he had ever felt more powerless in his life than what he did at this moment.

"What?" Danny mumbled groggily. He prayed that Vlad wouldn't stay long, his eyes were begging him for sleep. Also he could start to feel the effects of the Diazepam kicking in, a medication given to him by the nurses which he was told would help him to calm down.

Vlad blinked at this blunt question at first. He was surprised that Danny was willing to speak to him at all, let alone initiate the conversation.

"I just wanted to see if you were feeling better, my boy." Vlad replied casually, whilst slowly approaching the bed. Danny watched him, his eyes turning colder.

"I'm fine." He retorted bitterly, "You can go now."

"Really? You don't seem fine to me, you know." Vlad told his young charge.

"I'll be much better when you leave, I promise." Danny snapped, followed by a yawn.

"Did those nurses give you something?" Vlad asked, looking down at the boy as though he were studying him.

"None of your business." Danny growled before rolling on to his other side, away from Vlad. It meant causing a lot of discomfort in his wounded arm, but Danny didn't care as long as it meant he didn't have to look at Vlad anymore.

"We've been through this, Daniel." Vlad told him sternly, "I understand my presence may make you uncomfortable right now, but I suggest you get used to it. I made a promise to your mother that I'd take care of you should tragedy strike, and I am a man of my word."

Danny scoffed when he heard the end of that sentence. "Since when are you a man of your word, Plasmius? You use people to suit yourself, you are the most selfish, ego-centric man on the planet."

Vlad frowned at the boy's comment and walked around the bed to face him. "That may be your opinion Daniel, but like it or not this is happening. Now you can continue to make things difficult for both of us, or you can grow up a little and accept this reality."

Danny looked up at Vlad again, his eyes even wearier, "In what universe do you think this could possibly work? Did you forget that we are enemies?"

"No. You made me an enemy, Daniel." Vlad retorted, but then sighed remorsefully when he looked properly at the boy and noticed his tired eyes. It came back to him what a difficult night Danny had had, or realistically couple of days. "Anyway, you need to rest. We'll talk more in the morning, at least, a more sensible hour of the morning. Sleep well." Vlad then turned to walk out.

"You're not my dad, Vlad." Danny called out after him, "You can play this twisted little game as long as you want, but you will **never** be my dad."

Vlad's eyes flashed red after hearing this, whatever patience Vlad had for Danny had vanished within these few seconds. He turned and stamped back towards the bed and fiercely grabbed Danny by the shirt, yanking him upwards. The force of this assault made Danny cry out in surprise.

"You listen here you little rat," Vlad snarled at the boy, glaring into his fearful blue eyes, "You should be so lucky! You apparently have no idea how misfortunate you were to have an idiot such as Jack Fenton for a father. Now think Daniel, what kind of father is stupid enough to endanger his own children by experimenting with ecto substances on a daily basis? You are lucky that you were not killed on the day you received your ghost powers. I understand that you had formed some sort of attachment to him growing up, but you need to stop defending him Daniel. The man was a screw up and its time you accepted it!"

Vlad released his grasp on Danny's shirt suddenly, allowing him to drop back on to the bed. Danny glared at him angrily, "At least he cared Vlad! The only person you care about is yourself!" Danny yelled at the man, still fighting a battle against his body's will to sleep, "My dad might not have been perfect, but at least he cared about me."

Vlad chuckled evilly at the boy's response, "You think I don't care Daniel? If I didn't care I would let you rot away in a foster home!"

"I would probably be happier there than with you! And the only reason you agreed to take me is because you want me to become your creepy little apprentice ghost son!" Danny argued, "The only reason you are remotely interested in me is because I'm half ghost. Admit it! You couldn't care less about Danny Fenton!"

Vlad sighed at Danny's accusation, he could feel himself growing more and more angry. He became fearful that if the conversation didn't end he would do something to harm Danny, to get him to stop with his hurtful comments and accusations.

"I am ending this conversation Daniel. You need to sleep and I need to leave." Vlad said firmly.

"You're only leaving because you know what I said is true and you have…have no…comeback." Danny slurred.

"Sleep well, Daniel." Vlad whispered as he watched the boy's head fall on to the pillow, his eyes closing automatically. Vlad scrunched his own eyes together forcefully, mentally cursing himself. Once again he had lost his temper with the child, he knew he should have went straight home. Then he remembered why he came, Danny was unwell. The doctor even wanted a psychologist to assess him. Vlad felt worry stirring up inside him, replacing the feelings of anger. He watched Danny sleep for a few seconds, then sat on the lounge chair next to the bed.

Vlad knew where Danny's thoughts of him not caring had developed from. Vlad decided that if he wanted to make this work, he was going to start by changing that negative view. So out of both worry and spite for Danny Fenton, Vlad stayed next to his bed to watch over him for the rest of the night.

()()()

Several hours later, into the more reasonable hours of morning time, another doctor who was completing the rounds entered Danny's room. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the usually elegant Vlad Master's slouched on the lounge chair beside the bed, dozing. As the doctor walked over Vlad opened his eyes upon hearing the footsteps. He looked up at the doctor.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you Mr Masters." The doctor said clearly, as if he were trying to wake Danny up also.

"It's quite alright." Vlad replied, blinking multiple times before standing. "Any news?"

"I've received the information about last night's incidents, which have been added to Mr Fenton's case notes." The doctor began, "I have been in contact with one of the psychologists we have on site here, Dr Kelly, and she confirmed that she would come by in the afternoon to speak with Daniel."

"I see." Vlad responded with a low tone, "Just what exactly is the purpose for involving a psychologist, can I ask?"

"Well, I presume that due to the losses which Mr Fenton has experienced recently, Dr Kelly would probably be assessing whether or not he is healthily processing his bereavement." The doctor answered, "I'm sure you have been made aware that what happened last night does not bode well with Daniel's mental health."

"Hm. I was given a brief explanation." Vlad replied dimly, not liking what he was hearing.

"Right, well I was going to check Daniel over whilst I was here…" The doctor began, looking over to the bed. Vlad turned around as well, glancing at the sleeping boy and remembering the mood which he had been in prior to sleeping.

"Perhaps that can wait until later?" Vlad strongly suggested to the doctor.

"Very well." The doctor answered, scribbling something down on his page before leaving the room. Vlad let out an irritated sigh before dropping down on the chair again.

"I'm not crazy." A muffled voice stated.

"What?" Vlad snapped in an annoyed tone, turning towards the bed as he knew it was Danny who made the comment.

"I'm not crazy." Danny repeated, sitting up on the bed, "Psychologists see crazy people like you, not normal people like me!"

Vlad raised an eyebrow and smirked at the teen. "Daniel, in what world do you consider yourself a normal person?"

"I'm normal enough not to need a psychologist!" Danny argued, "All ghost stuff aside."

"Look, they just want to make sure you're okay after what happened last night that's all. Please don't make a big deal of it and just go with it, for the sake of both our sanities." Vlad told Danny as rationally as he could manage. "Why are you arguing with me about this, why not the doctor when he was in? How long have you been awake anyway?"

"It was hard to stay asleep with that doctor barging in here and practically shouting at you. And I wasn't going to let on I was awake to have him start poking at me. You know what they're like! What are you still doing here anyway?" Danny asked, his tone growing more cynical.

Vlad turned his gaze away from the teen, "I wanted to be sure you were okay after last night. You were in a bad way, Daniel. More than I think you realise."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed by the memory. "I'm fine" He snapped, "I definitely don't need you on standby ready to hit me again anyway."

"If you say so." Vlad sighed standing again, "I'm going for some breakfast. Would you like me to bring you anything? I'm sure your appetite is pathetic enough without being put off by processed hospital rubbish."

Danny shook his head sadly, thinking of how his mother made the most delicious waffles and French toast anyone could wish for. His stomach growled simultaneously with the memory.

Vlad rolled his eyes at Danny's stubbornness. "I'll be back soon, with your breakfast!" Vlad told the teen before walking out the door. Danny watched him leave, relieved that he had some time to himself. He quickly wiped away the tears which were quickly forming in his eyes. He wasn't sure what the bigger shock to his system was, knowing that he would never enjoy one of his mother's breakfasts again, or the fact that Vlad had at that moment genuinely tried to be nice to him.

()()()

Sometime later Vlad was walking back to the hospital from his hotel. He decided to simply eat there as it was close by and was good quality. He had chosen pancakes with chocolate syrup for Danny. He wasn't sure what the younger hybrid liked, but he was sure he would be pleased with the high sugar content which the breakfast offered. Not to mention Vlad couldn't very well transport a five star fry from the hotel to the hospital, which he himself had recently enjoyed.

As he was walking, a flash of green light caught the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked into the alleyway from which the light had come from. Out of the shadows came a large dark form, looking straight at Vlad, with a malicious grin. Vlad sighed irritably and then swiftly approached the form.

"What are you doing here Skulker, I thought I told you to stay in Wisconsin?" The hybrid snapped.

"I thought you would like to know that Fright Knight came looking for you. He was quite insistent Plasmius, it took a lot of, shall we say, 'persuasion' to get him to leave. I take it he is the one you want to protect your possessions from? What does he want with your belongings can I ask?" Skulker mused to his employer.

Vlad sighed, he knew the Fright Knight would come looking for him. Ever since their so called truce when battling against Pariah Dark, the Fright Knight had been insisting that Plasmius owed him a favour. A favour which Plasmius currently did not have time to repay. This was causing their truce to wear thin, and the Fright Knight was beginning to grow violently impatient with Plasmius. Now Vlad was trying to find ways to buy some time.

"He's not after my belongings." Vlad finally answered, "Just try to keep him at bay until I can get back."

"Consider it done." Skulker replied, his smirk growing bigger. "So, how's the whelp?"

Vlad glared at the ghost, "None of your business!"

"That bad huh? Honestly Plasmius, he's a lost cause!" Skulker laughed.

"I don't pay you for your opinions Skulker, I pay you for your services. So get your mechanical butt back to Wisconsin before someone else breaks into my lab!" Vlad shouted.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Good luck with the whelp, you'll need it!" Skulker mocked before flying off. Vlad rolled his eyes at the antics of the ghost hunter, although he was secretly concerned about how the Fright Knight was still hounding him. Vlad continued on to the hospital, trying not to dwell on this issue. He figured that the concerns around Danny were enough for any one man to focus on.

()()()

Lunch time came and went, and Vlad had remained at the hospital with Danny. He was currently angry at Danny, as he had refused to eat his lunch, but Danny had insisted that he wasn't hungry having ate his breakfast. Both hybrids had been sitting in an uncomfortable silence for nearly twenty minutes when a knock came to the door and a lady who was dressed in a smart-casual attire entered the room. She smiled at both Vlad and Danny.

"Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Sarah Kelly." She said as she walked over and shook Vlad's hand and he introduced himself. She then turned to Danny, "You must be Daniel." She beamed as she grasped his hand.

"Call me Danny." He responded with a small smile, he couldn't resist the charm which the female doctor had bestowed upon him. Vlad smirked when he saw this. He was about to speak with Dr Kelly about her intentions, when she whipped around and directed her speech to him first.

"Would you mind giving us a few minutes Mr Masters? I would like to ask Danny a few questions if that's alright with you?"

Vlad blinked at her, surprised by her sudden keenness to speak with Danny and isolate him from the situation. Of course, he realised that he didn't have much of an option. The sooner she spoke with Danny the sooner she would get the information she wanted and leave, learning that Danny was perfectly fine.

"Not at all." He answered with an almost cutting tone. He then turned on his heel and left the room without looking at Danny. Danny gazed at the psychologist, unexpectedly feeling anxious at being left alone with her. It was as though he suddenly remembered who she was and what she wanted, and the thought of this made him uncomfortable.

Dr Kelly continued to smile at him as she sat on the chair beside the bed. "So Danny, how are you?" She began.

()()()

Vlad had been for a coffee, contacted his companies for updates, and had now been pacing the corridor like a crazed man for the past ten minutes as Dr Kelly was still talking with Danny. He couldn't understand what had been taking her so long, it had been nearly an hour! Vlad began to wonder what Danny was telling her, was he stable enough to be left alone with a probing psychologist? His sister Jazz had been very in tune with psychology and she had manged to get information out of Danny, how was this woman any different?

Vlad tormented himself with these questions for another five minutes, until Dr Kelly came out of Danny's room and greeted Vlad with her smile again, which Vlad was beginning to find quite sickening. He tried to fake his confidence, and smiled back at her.

"Everything alright then?" He asked her as she approached him. Her smile faltered slightly and her eyes moved around as she appeared to gather her thoughts.

"Well, he's quite a guarded young man, isn't he?" She began, "It took me some time before I could persuade him to open up at all."

Vlad was sure this was a good thing rather than a bad thing, "What did he say, exactly?" He asked.

"It's very clear that the accident which took his family and friends is having a very harsh impact on him, naturally. However, I don't believe he is processing his grief well, I get the impression that he blames himself for what happened and this thought is scarring him emotionally. I think because he witnessed the accident and was involved himself has inflicted feelings of fear."

Vlad listened to what Dr Kelly was saying, and he didn't feel that she was leading up to a good outcome. When she realised that Vlad was not going to comment, she continued.

"It is clear to me that Danny appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. His night terror and panic attack last night were fast occurring symptoms. It is possible that he was also experiencing a flashback of the accident at the time, this would be another indicator of PTSD." She told Vlad gently.

Vlad nodded grimly, "Is there…is there a cure for this?"

Dr Kelly raised her eyebrows at the man, "Well, there's no magic medicine, I'm afraid-"

"So how do we fix it?" Vlad demanded, cutting her off.

"The condition can be helped through cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation techniques, support groups,-"

"Daniel won't go for any of that." Vlad snapped, "Are you sure there's nothing I could give him? Slip a relaxant in his drink or something?"

Dr Kelly frowned at him. "No Mr Masters. The best way for you to help him is by being supportive and patient with him. Now I'm afraid I'm running late for a meeting, here's some more information about PTSD," She said, handing Vlad some leaflets, "Please do not hesitate to contact your G.P for further details. Good afternoon, Mr Masters."

Vlad watched as she walked away. He felt like he had just been hit by a bombshell. He understood that Danny was having a few troubles, but he had no idea that they could extend to the extremes of PTSD. He rubbed his head, this was a disaster! What was he going to do? He couldn't possibly help Danny with something like this, the boy hated him and he certainly didn't have a lot of patience with the teenager. It was true that the boy could bring out the worst in him. He wondered if Dr Kelly had told Danny about her diagnosis, or if she had left him to do the dirty work?

Vlad walked into Danny's room and saw him sitting up with his arms and head resting on his knees. The younger hybrid looked up at Vlad when he heard him come in.

"She's not coming back again is she?" he asked Vlad immediately.

Vlad eyed the boy, what had she done that meant he didn't want her back? "Why? What did she say to you, Daniel?"

"Uh…well, she she just asked a lot of questions. That's all." Danny stumbled.

"I see. Well I suppose you feel that it isn't any of my business anyway." Vlad retorted, "However, I feel this may be of your business." Vlad set the leaflets which discussed post-traumatic stress disorder in front of Danny.

"What's this?" He asked, picking it up.

"You can fool many people Daniel, but you couldn't fool the professionals." Vlad told him, "That psychologist believes you have this mental health disorder."

"What? I'm not crazy!" He snapped angrily.

"I didn't say you were. Will you listen?" Vlad snapped back, "It means that that accident has had an adverse effect on you. So if you want to feel better I suggest that you stop your lying and just talk to me."

"I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to be anywhere near you!" Danny wailed, "I just want my life back!" Danny buried his head back into his arms and began to cry into them. Vlad sighed quietly, angry with himself for how poorly he was already handling the situation. He sat down next to the bed and gently rubbed the teen's arm sympathetically, afraid that if he said anything else he would make it worse.

After a few seconds Danny lifted his head and looked at Vlad. "What are you doing?" He choked out through his tears.

Vlad pulled his hand away, "I'm only trying to help, Daniel. That's all."

"I don't need your help Plasmius, I'm fine." Danny sniffed.

"That's a load of rubbish Daniel!" Vlad said irritably, "If you were fine you wouldn't be crying. So knock it off with the hero complex for a bit and just admit for the first time, you are the one in need of saving."

Danny turned his head away from Vlad and sadly began to wipe away his tears.

()()()

 **And that is the end of chapter four! I just want to let you know, readers, that my updates may become more spaced apart. I am not giving up on the story, but I have other stuff which is demanding my attention right now. I will try to be good and update as fast as possible, but please be patient with me!**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading chapter four, I enjoyed writing it! Feel free to tell me what your thoughts are!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another update for you, my wonderful readers! Once again I would like to thank you all for your support, especially those of you favouriting/following/reviewing, it means a lot, I'm so happy my story is being enjoyed.**

 **Just a quickie…for those of you wondering about Clockwork, or where the thermos containing Danny's future self went…Have patience! I have plans for those!**

 **Anyways, here's chapter 5 for now!**

 **()()()**

Danny woke up with a shiver. His ghost sense had just went off. He sat up on the bed, probably a little quicker than what he should have. He knew that his ghost half enabled him to heal quicker than that of an ordinary human. However, he took advantage of this trait and, much to the annoyance of Vlad Masters, he had not been resting as well as he should have been for the past few days. Nevertheless, the doctor who had reviewed him the previous evening had suggested that Danny may be well enough to be discharged the next day. For unlike Vlad, the medical staff had been quite marvelled by Danny's speedy recovery. Unfortunately this had only worsened Danny's persistence to leave the hospital and because of this, Vlad had been keeping a more firm eye on the sneaky younger half ghost.

Danny looked around the dimly lit room, wondering if Vlad had changed into his ghost half, and it had been him who set off the ghost sense. But when Danny turned his head he saw Vlad still asleep on the lounge chair. Danny scowled at the older halfa, he had had enough of Vlad. He had barely left Danny alone since the day he came out of the coma, and all Danny wanted was peace to grieve for his losses. Vlad didn't seem capable of understanding that Danny wanted nothing to do with him, and the thought of Vlad being his legal guardian made Danny feel sick. He felt a sting of shame when he recalled how Vlad had spent the past few days gaining an upper hand, after witnessing Danny in a more weak and vulnerable state. Danny cringed for a second.

A blur of black and green moving past the window redirected Danny back to the fact a ghost was nearby. He quietly got out of the bed and walked towards the window. He could see the blur moving further up the street, Danny still couldn't make out who it was had escaped the Ghost Zone. He looked over his shoulder towards Vlad, he knew the man would not approve of what he was about to do. Usually Danny hated midnight ghost attacks, but this one was an acceptation. Since he hadn't been chasing ghosts for the past few days he felt that a part of him had died away. Catching ghosts had become a huge part of him, and knew deep down that Sam, Tucker and Jazz would want him to keep ghost fighting. With a small smile forming on his face, for the first time in days, Danny obeyed his instinct and whispered, "I'm going ghost!"

()()()

Not far away, down an old ally, Johnny 13 and his shadow were conjunctively causing reckless damage. Johnny was angrily blasting fire from his motorcycle, causing trash bins to set alight, and his shadow was nearby, smashing windows on the buildings looking into the ally. Danny hovered above them, and then shot an ecto-blast at Johnny's bike to get his attention. Johnny turned around, his face fixed in anger.

"You little brat! You'll pay for that!" Johnny yelled furiously, his shadow mimicking the same emotion.

"I doubt it, I've no money." Danny answered dryly, "What are you doing here Johnny? Finished vandalising the Ghost Zone so you're starting here?"

"Relax little man, this is just a quick stop I'm not staying long. Kitty's been nagging at me again, so I'm just blowing off some steam is all. She's been a real pain lately, I should have taken my chances with your sis when I had a shot. She was a real sweet bird." Johnny answered menacingly.

Danny's eyes glowed with fury, anger flowed through him when he heard the distasteful comment directed at his sister. Without a second thought he fired one of his strongest blasts at Johnny, knocking him off the bike and causing great damage to it. Johnny glared up from his knees at Danny. When he realised that Danny was flying in for a more personalised attack, he turned to his shadow.

"Shadow, attack!" He ordered. The shadow needed no further instruction, and lunged itself at Danny, forcing him to the ground and barring him from Johnny. "You're gonna regret this Phantom!" Johnny shouted, "Shadow, show no mercy!"

The shadow immediately forced all its strength forward and entrapped Danny. It shifted its form in a way which would suggest it was trying to suffocate him, as it was applying most of its strength around Danny's mouth, nose and neck. Danny panicked when he realised his air supply was cut off, he fought against the force of the shadow, and was succeeding. However, when the shadows luminous eyes locked with his, Danny became paralysed. He got a sudden flash of the last ghost who had him by the throat and had locked eyes with him. He could see the face of his future self again, surrounded by the debris of the destruction he had caused. The same feeling of powerlessness overwhelmed him. (*)

As Danny was no longer fighting back, the shadow was quickly weakening him. Danny felt his eyes go blurry, and he involuntarily changed back into his human form. He thought he was going to pass out just as a blinding bright light surrounded them, refocusing Danny's mind. The shadow, who was vulnerable to bright light, shrieked and faded away. Johnny looked up at the ghost who had defeated his shadow and decided that he too, would return to the Ghost Zone, knowing that without his shadow, he would be greatly outmatched in a battle with this ghost.

Danny wearily stood up, disorientated. As he was trying to find his bearings, he was forcefully grabbed by the shoulders and was now facing a furious Vlad Plasmius.

"What do you think you are doing, Daniel?" Plasmius yelled at the boy, shaking him slightly, "Do you have some kind of death wish?"

"Get off!" Danny snapped, not looking at Plasmius, shaking his shoulders free from the harsh grip. Plasmius responded quickly by grabbing hold of the boys left arm.

"What is the matter with you? Do you not understand the seriousness of your condition right now? Or has the fact that you have been in hospital for the past fortnight not registered with you yet?" Plasmius sneered at Danny.

Danny pulled his arm away, ignoring Plasmius's continuous questions. Danny then wondered off, in no particular direction and not exactly in a straight line, trying to comprehend what had just happened. His confusion was currently affecting his ability to think clearly. Plasmius watched the boy in amazement, trying to understand for himself, what on earth Danny was doing.

"Where do you think you are you going?" Plasmius demanded, after a few seconds of monitoring Danny's behaviour.

"Nowhere…somewhere…Uh! Anywhere that's away from you!" Danny yelled at Plasmius, who had only been adding to his disorientation, "Can you just leave me alone for five minutes, please!"

"Leave you alone?" Plasmius scoffed at the teen, "You do realise that just now, in the few minutes that you were alone, you ended up in a potentially fatal position with a biker ghost and some black shadow thing! Honestly Daniel, at this rate I'm considering chaining you to the bed!"

"I had to do something! I had to stop them!" Danny retorted.

"Why? What were they doing that involved your intrusion?" Plasmius demanded, his arm directing Danny's attention to the chaotic ally, "So those ghosts were battering up an old ally, big deal. It's hardly worth risking your life over. Really Daniel, you need to learn to mind your own business."

"It is my business!" Danny snapped.

"How? They weren't doing you any harm. They were nowhere near you as a matter of fact! So why did you make it your business and attack them? Especially when you're not well enough yet for ghost combat." Plasmius debated him.

"Because… Its-its my job." Danny answered weakly, knowing his response would not go down well.

"Your job! Oh for the love of! Daniel, you are fourteen! How many times do you have to be told? Running around after ghosts is hardly a suitable job for you. You want responsibility, get a paper round, or a puppy or something. But if you keep up with this ghost fighting without the correct training you are going to get yourself killed, my boy." Vlad said bluntly. However, he softened when he saw the discouragement on Danny's face. "Oh well, you'll keep me on my toes if nothing else, hm? Come on let's get you back. Maybe if you're good I'll teach you how to use those powers of yours properly someday."

Danny glared at Plasmius, "No! I don't need you to show me how to use my powers Plasmius! I can use them just fine and, unlike you, I actually use them to help people."

Plasmius rolled his eyes at the boy's defiance, "You and your hero complex! Daniel your powers weren't given to you so that you could attempt to save the world. You have them due to the negligence of your idiot father."

"Don't you dare talk about him like that!" Danny yelled, "Don't you dare, you have no right!"

Plasmius knew he had gone too far, "Alright, calm down. Look, I just want you to understand that you are not invincible. I think I could help you, so that what happened just now with those ghosts won't happen again."

Danny cringed, he knew that he could easily take on Johnny 13 and his shadow. He had done before. But he didn't want to talk to Plasmius about what happened, and why he hadn't been able to fight them properly just now. It was too bizarre, too painful. Plasmius watched the boy, he knew there was something Danny wasn't telling him, but now was not the time or place to try and beat the information out of him.

"Daniel, I don't know about you but I am tired. It's time to go back to the hospital, I know you're not fond of the place, but hopefully its only for one more night. I think it's time to get you back to some normality." Plasmius said calmly. Danny looked at him in surprise, he was sure Vlad would try and keep him in the hospital as long as possible, just to annoy him. "Now," Plasmius continued, "Are you going to come willingly, or would you prefer kicking and screaming like last time? I can work with either."

Danny sighed, he knew for a fact that this was a battle he wouldn't win, and even he would admit to himself that he was exhausted after everything that happened, and that some rest would really benefit him right now. So he walked over to Plasmius, and continued to walk past him. Plasmius watched him and sighed inwardly, hoping this would not lead to another row. He began to follow his young charge.

"Daniel? Where are you going now?" Plasmius called after him.

"The hospital." Danny replied dryly.

"The hospital?" Plasmius repeated in surprise, "You're walking there?"

"Yes, Plasmius. I'm walking there." Danny answered irritably. He knew he didn't have the energy to fly just yet, and he wasn't willingly having Plasmius carry him there. Thankfully, the hospital wasn't far.

Plasmius smiled at Danny's stubbornness. He, of course, knew that Danny wasn't able to fly at this moment. "Alright Daniel," He said, changing into his human form, "We'll walk."

The two hybrids walked in silence for the few minutes it took to reach the hospital. When they were a few feet away from the doors a thought crossed Vlad's mind.

"Daniel, I hate to interrupt our lovely stroll, however I feel the need to point out that the nurses may find it a little strange to see us walking back to your room after a walk in the middle of the night. Don't you think?"

Danny stopped in his tracks, that correct assumption had not yet crossed his mind.

"We'll have to fly up." Vlad said, transforming into his ghost half. He watched as Danny stood there. Danny looked at Vlad and could see he was waiting. Danny called on all of his body strength to change him. It did, but was draining the remainder of his energy rapidly. Rather than flying, Danny slowly floated up the few stories necessary to reach his room. Plasmius followed at this slow pace, certain that he would have to catch the boy when his energy levels failed him and he fell. However Danny made it to the room, his human form returning the second his feet touched the floor. He more or less collapsed on the bed, sleep quickly taking him. The last thing he acknowledged before passing out was feeling the covers being pulled over him for warmth. Vlad figured Danny would appreciate this gesture in the morning.

()()()

Vlad woke up early the next morning, the bright light from the sun hitting him straight in the eyes. He yawned and looked at Danny, who was sleeping soundly. "When they said you lose a lot of sleep when a child comes along I didn't think that saying applied to teenagers." Vlad muttered irritably. However, he was pleased to say that he felt some progress had been with Danny during the night. He thought the boy had been much less argumentative and aggressive than usual towards him, during their confrontation. He hoped that was a sign that Danny was slowly beginning to accept the way things were.

Vlad decided to collect his things from the hotel and check out early. He was aware that the doctors were happy with Danny's medical progression and had been hinting at his discharge, Vlad knew that the call would fall to him today and he would be grateful to get the boy out of the hospital and settle him into a more permanent environment. Wherever that may be. Vlad knew that Danny could be averse to leave his home town, which is why Vlad had been keeping his eye on an attractive mansion based in Amity Park's finest area, Ultra Posh Polter Heights. Although Vlad would rather be in Wisconsin, he knew he would still be able to run his businesses and take care of other matters in Amity Park, should he really have to. It would just mean readjusting and moving some things around.

He lifted his coat whilst these thoughts travelled through his mind, as he was about to leave he looked at Danny one more time. It was nice to see the boy at peace for a change, he thought. Vlad had been grateful that there had been no further incidents during the night with regards to sleep terrors and nightmares. Although Vlad didn't like to acknowledge it, the idea of Danny having post-traumatic stress disorder unsettled him greatly. Vlad would contently confess that he did not have a natural way with children and young people. He would admit that initially he had been drawn to Danny because of his ghost powers, and even then their communication had not been good. Vlad knew he was still finding his feet when it came to Danny, and he feared that Danny's post-traumatic stress disorder could delay the boy's ability to move on with life, and potentially accept Vlad in it.

()()()

The doctor who was completing the rounds this morning had become familiar with Danny's case. As he examined him now, he marvelled at the boy's progress.

"This is outstanding!" He exclaimed, "It's hard to believe that this time two weeks ago you were in a coma! And your arm! Why, it's practically healed, the x-ray shows no breakage in the bone!" The doctor turned to Vlad, "Mr Master's, Daniel has made incredible progress." He stated.

Vlad smiled at the doctor's naivety, whilst Danny rolled his eyes from his bed. "Yes, I've gathered he's been doing rather well." Vlad replied simply, "Do you think he is ready to be discharged?"

"Well…I can honestly say that medically he is fine and could be discharged on that basis, with the correct and appropriate check-ups in place of course. However, considering the severity of the reasons for Daniel's admittance, we would understand why you would prefer for him to stay for further monitoring. If it were another patient with the same circumstances this would be the case, but it's your call, Mr Masters." The doctor answered.

Vlad looked down at Danny, who was eyeing the man profoundly. Vlad knew that Danny wanted out of the hospital, but he knew he didn't want to be with him outside of it anymore then he did inside. However, Vlad wanted him discharged also, he didn't think it was healthy to keep Danny cooped up for no good reason. The boy was making this clear through his reckless actions.

"I think it's time to get Daniel home, and back to normality." Vlad said to the doctor with a polite smile.

"Excellent." The doctor replied happily, feeling somewhat responsible for Danny's successful and speedy recovery, "I'll get to work on the discharged papers." He then left the room.

Vlad began to gather some of Danny's things, keen to leave. Danny watched him, feeling both elated and worried to be leaving the hospital, as he did not know what lay ahead for him.

"Vlad, where is 'home' exactly?" Danny asked quietly, not looking at the older hybrid.

Vlad stopped what he was doing and turned his gaze towards Danny, noticing how uncomfortable the boy looked. "What do you mean Daniel?"

"Are you taking me to Wisconsin?" Danny finally asked, a question which had been playing on his mind for so long.

"I would prefer to take you to live in Wisconsin, Daniel." Vlad answered, "However, if you are truly adverse this, I can make arrangements so you can continue to live in Amity Park. The choice is yours really, but just so you know, I will be included in both scenarios. So don't get any ideas."

Danny was surprised by this answer. Vlad had given him a choice. Danny had assumed the man would simply whisk him away from his old life and not care about his wishes. It was quite a selfless thing for the man to offer really, Danny didn't think Vlad was capable of this. However, his offer put Danny in a very difficult position, for although Amity Park was his home, where he grew up and created many happy memories, and had even informally become its defender against malevolent ghosts, Danny was struggling to cope with the pain from those memories, as they included people he would never see again. This was something which agonised him, and he wasn't sure that being a defender to the town was worth the pain he felt when triggers of his memories came back. (*) Danny had honestly hoped that Vlad had just taken him away, so that he could escape and leave his sadness and haunting memories behind. But wouldn't that make him selfish and weak?

Vlad looked at Danny again, concerned with how quiet he'd gone. He thought the boy would have jumped at the chance to stay in Amity Park, why was he delaying an answer?

"Daniel?" Vlad said, prompting him. Danny only turned his head away, not bearing to look at him.

"I don't know." Danny finally whispered.

Vlad raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean you don't know? I thought it was a fairly straight forward question; would you rather live in Wisconsin or Amity Park?"

"Amity Park needs me…" Danny replied, tears forming in his eyes, unbeknownst to the other halfa.

"Again with the hero complex, Daniel? Honestly, Amity Park is fine. It got by before you had ghost powers and it will get by should you leave. I'm sure young Miss Grey will gladly see to things without your input I may add." Vlad sighed, "However if you want to stay-"

"I don't." Danny choked out.

"You don't?" Vlad repeated in shock.

Danny shook his head, unable to reply verbally. The tears began to run down his face. Naturally, Vlad wanted to know why Danny had said this, he didn't understand what he meant, or what he wanted. However, he knew at this point that Danny was crying, and this was not something which Vlad knew how to deal with well. He stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to think of what he could say to the boy, what would help?

"I understand this is a very difficult decision for you Daniel, and I urge you not to make it hastily. You do not need to tell me the reasons for why you choose the place you choose, but I do ask that you make the decision based on what you feel you truly want and need right now, not what you think people expect of you. You can't hope to feel better if you don't give yourself a chance." Vlad told him gently.

Danny had listened to what the man had said, and he thought for a few minutes about what he wanted. He was so used to thinking about what others needed of him that he wasn't used to narrowing matters down to him. He wiped his eyes thoroughly, angry at himself for allowing Vlad to see him in this state again, but although it was difficult for both of them, Vlad was getting used to it, and was trying hard to understand. Even if Danny was making this difficult.

Danny breathed in, and turned to face Vlad, letting on that he didn't care that his eyes were red and teary. Vlad met his gaze, keeping his expression neutral.

"I…" Danny began, a little shakily, "I…w-want. Vlad, I-I don't know what I want." He whispered, as another tear fell done his cheek. Vlad walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"It's alright, Daniel. It's going to be okay." He said soothingly.

Danny was shaking slightly from holding in his sobs. He couldn't believe he was accepting comfort from his enemy. He knew now that he had truly hit rock bottom.

()()()

 **Well you lovely people, I am being cruel and leaving you with a bit of a cliff hanger! Where do you think Danny will choose? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I hope you're as glad to see Danny getting out of the hospital as I am. That environment is a little restricting for creative writing, I'm sure you've guessed considering Danny left it a couple of times!**

 **(*)Flash backs of the traumatic incident and trying to avoid reminders of it are symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder—just to confirm what's going on with Danny!(*)**

 **Anyway, please tell me your thoughts, I hope to update soon, all being well. Thanks again guys!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Welcome to chapter 6 of No Second Chances. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, I must say I am enjoying writing it and I am pleasantly surprised at the positive responses my little fanfic is getting! Thank you.**

 **But enough of that! On with the story!**

 **()()()**

Vlad had been having a tough morning, but he tried to put his thoughts on this aside every time he looked at Danny. It was clear that the broken expression on the boy's face indicated that he was having a much tougher time than Vlad, and after seeing the state of the boy, Vlad would agree with this.

It had taken over an hour for Vlad to calm Danny down, and talk him round into leaving the hospital. Danny's confliction had been driving his resistance. Vlad's patience did wear thin with the boy at one point, when he physically tried to pull the boy out of the room. Danny's response had been less than cooperative, and he retaliated by holding on to the bed railing and yelled out in protest. Vlad had to give up in this approach, for fear that Danny's screams would attract negative and unwanted attention from the nurses. All of Vlad's attempts to reason with the boy had failed. Due to Danny's fragile emotional state, he was lacking the ability to think clearly. Therefore, rather than have Danny continue to distress himself over the decision offered to him, Vlad made the call. He explained to Danny that he was going to take him to Wisconsin, as he felt that it would do him good to be taken away from the situation and any reminders which remained in Amity Park. Initially, Danny nodded, appearing to accept this proposal. However, after a few seconds had passed his crying continued, and almost louder than before. Vlad knew he was at an impasse.

"Daniel I'm not doing this to be cruel, you know." Vlad sighed, feeling a great deal of both sympathy and frustration towards the boy. "I simply think it's the wiser option. If you disagree then please tell me so as I can make the proper arrangements, but regardless of what you choose can you please hurry and make your mind up. The staff were expecting us to be gone nearly an hour ago."

Danny sucked in a large gulp of air before speaking, "Y-you didn't let me say goodbye." He mumbled shakily.

Vlad frowned in confusion, feeling his irritation levels rise again. "What are talking about?"

"In the cemetery, ages ago. You took me away…You didn't even let me say goodbye…and-and now you want to take me away for good!" Danny accused through his tears.

"Is that what this is about?" Vlad asked, almost laughing at the simplicity of the situation. "Daniel, I'm not taking you away to Wisconsin, forever banishing you from Amity Park! Let's just handle this one step at a time. Now I'm aware that you'll want to tie things up before you leave, and we can see to that. The reason why I took you away from the cemetery that day was because you were in need of medical care and had just begun recovery from a critical condition."

Danny looked up at Vlad, confused at what the man had just said. Were these his true motives? "Huh?" He slurred.

"Honestly Daniel, I'm evil, not heartless!" The man told him with a small smirk. He walked over to him and handed to him what must have been the third hankie. "Now, pull yourself together so we can get out of this blasted hospital. I can imagine you have a few things you wish to take care of before we leave to Wisconsin."

()()()

Danny was still sniffing when he was sat in Vlad's limousine. The billionaire watched him faintly out of the corner of his eye, pretending that he was focusing on his newspaper. He had become very concerned about the boy's emotional wellbeing recently. He knew that Danny would be understandably upset and needed to grieve for his family and friends. However Vlad couldn't help but feel that Danny was getting worse. He questioned if the post-traumatic stress disorder had anything to do with it. Vlad couldn't help but wonder how much of the accident Danny had seen, or been involved with to have had evoked such a severe reaction.

The limo came to a stop, Danny realised that they were parked outside of a cemetery. The one connected to the church which Tucker and his family attended. Danny had asked to pay his respects to his friends first today. As he unfastened his seatbelt, he couldn't help but notice that Vlad was doing the same.

"Umm, Vlad?" Vlad looked at the boy in response. "I kinda want to…be on my own. You know?"

Vlad paused for a second. Truthfully, he knew this, and he understood way Danny would want to be on his own, he had every right to be really. However, there was a pestering thought at the back of Vlad's mind telling him that if he let Danny go on his own, he would try to run. So as to avoid going with Vlad to Wisconsin.

"Alright, Daniel." Vlad said quietly, knowing that if he disagreed they would end up in a heated argument. "I'll wait here for you."

Danny got out of the limo and walked through the gates of the cemetery. It was only a matter of seconds that he was out of Vlad's sight completely. The man sighed, this was going against his better judgement. He was certain that the boy would try to make a run for it. Then Vlad smiled with his usual sneaky grin. He wasn't going to let Danny get the better him now. Vlad merged a duplicate of himself inside the limo and made it intangible. He flew off in the direction Danny had went, hoping that the boy hadn't got far. He caught a glimpse of Danny very quickly, the boy was standing over a grave, presumably Tucker's. Vlad kept his distance, knowing that if he went too close there was a possibility of triggering Danny's ghost sense.

Vlad could see Danny's lips moving, as though he were talking to Tucker the person. This was normal enough, Danny did say that he wanted to say goodbye, and at least he hadn't tried to run off yet or…what was it he had been doing that day to his family's grave? Vlad suddenly recalled this event back into his mind. Yes, that had been very strange indeed. Vlad drew his attention back to Danny, one hand was on the gravestone and the other was wiping his eyes. Vlad suddenly felt a pang of guilt for intruding on Danny's grieving. Clearly he had no ulterior motive here. Vlad called back his duplicate, and waited in limo for Danny.

As predicted, Danny did return several minutes later. His eyes were another shade redder, and he was holding a dark purple rose. Which, Vlad had presumed Danny had picked from one of the hedges. He hoped the boy hadn't taken it off some other poor soul's grave, but he was certain Danny wasn't the type. Vlad didn't ask what Danny was doing with the rose, he had a fair idea. Danny had requested to visit Sam Mansion's resting place next. Danny got out of the limo once again, taking the rose with him. Vlad didn't bother sending a duplicate after him this time.

Danny seemed to take a little longer visiting Sam's grave than Tucker's. Although, Vlad believed he knew why. He was sure that Danny held a fondness for Sam which he would never admit to, and Vlad knew the sting of young love all too well. He hoped that Danny wouldn't hold on to his loss for Sam like he had for Maddie for so many years. Vlad could see now that he give up the better part of his youth panging for someone he couldn't have. He hoped that Danny would have the sense not to do the same, and would live a life after all of this. Whilst Vlad had been pondering about life, and his own past, Danny climbed into the limo again, finishing wiping his eyes. The rose was gone, Danny obviously had picked it for Sam. The next stop, the cemetery were Danny's family laid to rest.

Vlad watched Danny walk up through the third cemetery. He could just about make out the Fenton's' graves from where the limo was parked. He couldn't help but watch Danny this time. He wanted to know if he would move the flowers around again. Danny appeared to speak to the graves again. Vlad was surprised by how much the boy had to get of his chest. After a few minutes, Danny got down on his knees. Vlad watched out of curiosity as Danny began to rearrange the centrepieces again. He couldn't grasp why Danny was doing this, and for quite some time too. However, when Danny returned to the limo this time, he seemed slightly more contented then what he had been before. He sat silently as they drove towards what had previously been Fenton Works.

()()()

It was on the tip of Vlad's tongue to ask Danny what he had been doing to his family's graves. Though he wanted to word it in a way in which he didn't sound like he had been prying into the boy's business. However, it was Danny who broke the silence first.

"Vlad? What's going to happen to my house?" He asked quietly, "Is it going to be sold?"

Vlad looked at the boy for a second, wondering who in the world would want to purchase that unusual residence. "No Daniel. Didn't that idiot solicitor tell you anything? Your parent's paid off the mortgage on the house, meaning they owned it. Meaning you now have inherited it. Therefore when you become of an appropriate age you can do with it as you please." Danny nodded to the man's answer. He was deeply relieved as he had been reassured that the home would always be there for him, and that no strangers would take it away whilst he was in Wisconsin.

When they pulled up outside the Fenton residence, Vlad handed Danny the keys. He had been given them, as he had been deemed the legal guardian of the only individual left who lived in the house. Danny took them, irritated by the thought of Vlad having them in the first place. Vlad sighed as Danny closed the front door behind him. He was getting very bored of all of this running around, no matter how necessary it may be. At this point, Vlad himself couldn't wait to get back to Wisconsin He was well aware that having Danny in his life fulltime now would not allow for any normality. But at least in Wisconsin, he would have his comfort and familiarity back again.

Danny wondered through the eerily empty house. The furniture had already collected a thin coat of dust. Danny felt a lump catch on this throat when he saw a framed family picture which was sat on a self in the living area. Sam and Tucker had manged to jump in this one too. It made him smile at how happy everyone looked, but tears formed at the same time as he recalled that it would never be like that again. Danny found his duffel bag and put the picture inside. He had been tempted to raid the house of all the photographs to take with him, but he knew this wouldn't work and it was ultimately a bad idea. As he knew he would become fixated with the memories the photographs held for him, and he would dwell on them, rather than move on. Still, Danny made sure that he had one good photo of all his family members. He lifted his mom and dad's wedding photo and Jazz's school photo, as they were at their happiest in these places where the photos had been taken.

Danny also gathered a few of his things to take to Wisconsin, but not much clothing. Clothes weren't important and he knew that Vlad wouldn't mind purchasing new items. He took his model rocket and space posters, as they gave him a goal to achieve for. He knew his family and friends wouldn't want him to give up on his dreams. Danny also lifted a Fenton Thermos. He knew they wouldn't want him to give up on this either. He was aware that there weren't that many ghosts in Wisconsin, but he took it anyway, just in case.

Danny wondered into his parent's room one last time. He lay down on the bed, remembering how safe he'd felt as a small child when he used sneak in in the middle of the night. With this thought fresh in his memory, he lifted one of the pillows and jammed it inside his duffel bag. Danny then walked into Jazz's room. He felt a little guilty, as he knew how much Jazz hated him going into her room without her permission. He sighed sadly as he looked at all of her trophies and prize ribbons. He knew she would've done great things with her life. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a brown fuzzy thing. He looked properly, and saw Bearbert Einstein. Jazz's beloved childhood stuffed animal. Danny picked him up and smiled when he remembered how he used to tease Jazz and hide him from her when they were little. Danny knew he couldn't leave the bear behind, he knew that Jazz still loved it even now they were older, and in her own strange way, she wouldn't want him 'to be left on his own.' There was no more room in his bag, so Danny carried Bearbert.

Before Danny left his home, he thought he'd secure the ghost portal and check the lab. He feared that Vlad might have been through it, and had perhaps stolen some of his parent's more deadly equipment. However, when Danny walked down, he saw that the lab had been the way it was when he was last in it; an absolute mess. He'd previously ignored his father's request to clean it. In a way, Danny was glad he had. Vlad was such a finicky man that the state of the lab was probably highly off-putting to him. Although, Danny was surprised to find that the ghost portal had been secured already. Danny gasped, only Vlad could have done it, he was the only other person who could get into the house. But how did he know how to secure it?

As Danny walked out of the lab, thinking about the portal. He didn't like the fact that Vlad had been capable of tampering with his parent's works. However, the important thing was that the portal and lab were secure. It would mean that Amity Park was that little bit safer. As Daniel climbed the final steps, he heard someone.

"Daniel?" A voice called.

Danny sighed. He guessed this meant it was time to leave. Vlad walked into the kitchen as Danny closed the basement door behind him.

"There you are." Vlad said, "Are you alright? You've been a while."

"I'm fine." Danny retorted, irritated that the man had interrupted his 'farewell' to his home. "I'm ready." He stated, as he lifted the heavy duffel bag.

Vlad frowned at the bag. "That's all you're bringing?" He asked.

"It's all I need." Danny replied with a sniff, trying to hold back the tears again. The thought of leaving his home was starting to hurt again. He picked up Bearbert and walked towards the doorway. Vlad couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he saw the beat up old bear. Danny looked at him, and suddenly felt self-conscious about taking the bear.

"It was Jazz's bear." He told Vlad, "She…she really loved this thing."

"I see." Vlad responded, following the boy to the door. He was quite surprised that either of the Fenton children would go for cuddly toys given they came from a tough, ghost fighting background. However, if the sentiment of the bear helped Danny to feel better, Vlad knew it would be wiser not to comment.

As they left the house Danny locked the door, but held on to the key. Vlad smirked at Danny's resistance to give it back to him. Vlad had no wish to have the key, he had no business with the Fenton's house, and if he did, he would simply turn intangible and walk through the wall. He felt that Danny should keep the key anyway, it was his right.

()()()

Vlad noticed that Danny looked extremely tired as he sat down in the limo, duffel bag and Bearbert at his feet. There was no denying that it had been a long, hard day for the young hybrid. In a way Vlad hoped that Danny would sleep on the way to Wisconsin, but at the same time he didn't. He feared that Danny's sleep pattern would be poor due to all of the changes he was experiencing, and the post-traumatic stress disorder probably wasn't helping. Vlad frowned when he thought about this, he wasn't sure how he would tackle this 'illness.' Was he responsible for getting Danny a particular medication? Or a shrink? But then he recalled his discussion with the psychologist over a week ago. There was no medication, and Danny would most certainly refuse psychiatric intervention. Vlad was concerned that he was the one who was supposed to help Danny, and how was he supposed to do that when he didn't know how, and if the boy would not let him?

"Vlad?" Danny mumbled, interrupting Vlad's train of thought. "How long does it take to fly from Wisconsin to Amity Park?"

Vlad frowned, not liking the potential context behind this question. "It's a long and tiring journey. I've only done it once or twice myself. I would be more inclined to use the Ghost Zone as a shortcut. Oh, and that reminds me, in my castle you are forbidden from using my ghost portal." Vlad told the boy bitterly. "Why do you ask anyway?"

"…I'll need to go back to tend their graves." Danny answered quietly.

"Tend their graves?" Vlad repeated in shock, "You mean your family's? Daniel, there's people at the churchyard who deal with those matters. You don't have to worry about that."

"But they do it wrong." Danny answered. "I have to fix it."

Vlad was quiet for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what the boy was talking about. And then he remembered how Danny had been rearranging the flowers on the graves. Vlad then smiled at Danny.

"That's what you were doing that day I was with you in the cemetery." Vlad clarified.

Danny nodded. "I was doing it again today. It's just that…if they're going to be there forever I-I want it to be nice for them."

Vlad continued to smile at Danny. In a way, what the boy was saying made sense, he could see why it was important to him. Vlad had never realised how complex the teenage mind was before. But then again, it could just be because it was Danny. He always saw things in a different light.

"I think I understand where you're coming from Daniel." Vlad said to the teen, "I'm sure there's a way to work around your concern so as you do not have to travel back and forth from Wisconsin to Amity Park every week, don't you?"

Danny met Vlad's eye contact. "What do you mean?"

"Well someone could be hired to tend to the graves to your pleasing." Vlad told him.

Danny scowled at Vlad, "That's not the same Plasmius." He growled bitterly, using the man's alternative name, something he did mostly when he was angry or addressing Vlad's ghost half. "You can't just throw money at everything."

"Ah. So it's not really about you wanting to 'make it nice' for them then, is it?" Vlad queried.

"What do you mean?" Danny snapped.

"What I mean is it's not just about keeping their graves well-tended. It's about you attempting to rid some of your guilt through dedicating your time and energy to them. Isn't it?" Vlad pressed, knowing he had finally scratched the surface of what was going on in Danny's mind. But then this led Vlad to wonder, why did Danny feel guilty?

Danny became silent. He didn't like what Vlad had said to him, but he realised that there was a hint of truth in it. He turned himself away from Vlad, hoping that the older hybrid would not press the issue. Danny began to feel very trapped inside the confined space of the limo. Vlad could see that Danny had become very uncomfortable, he even looked slightly ill. Vlad reached him a cold bottle of water.

"Here, drink this. You look a bit pale, are you too hot?" He asked Danny. The younger hybrid nodded, taking the water. Vlad pressed a few buttons on his arm rest, turning up the air-conditioning. He hoped the boy wasn't taking unwell.

"That should help." He told Danny.

The boy nodded, feeling the effects of the cool air around him. He felt the need to sleep, but didn't want to in the limo. He laid his head in his hand. "Is it much longer?" He asked.

"About an hour." Vlad replied. "You should sleep Daniel, you might feel better."

"Don't want to." Danny answered, thinking about the possibility of having a bad dream, and his had been horrific lately. He glanced over at Vlad. He noticed the billionaire was not looking his finest today either; he had dark circles under his eyes, his hair had lost some of its shine, and it looked like he'd missed a few spots when he'd been shaving.

"Maybe you would feel better if you slept." Danny challenged the man.

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the boy. "That would defeat the purpose of keeping my eye on you, wouldn't it, Little Badger? And besides, I'd prefer to get to Wisconsin without a biro moustache or glasses inked all over my face!"

"Would I do that?" Danny smiled. Vlad chuckled at him, it was nice to see the boy smile again, for a change. Vlad rubbed his temples.

"Headache?" Danny asked.

"Hm."

"Why don't you drink some water?" The boy suggested.

Vlad laughed at recommendation. "Oh Daniel, I think I'm going to need something stronger than water if I'm going to continue putting up with you."

"Really?" Danny asked, "Huh. I was thinking the same thing."

 **()()()**

 **It was nice to end this chapter on a slightly lighter note for a change! I hope it didn't move too slowly, I felt Danny had to do all that stuff before he left. I hope for things to be more lively in upcoming chapters, it will be interesting to finally have our two favourite halfa's living together!**

 **Hope you liked it guys. Let me know what you think!**

 **xseriouslyx.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my fellow phans! Would just like to say another quick thank you for all of your support, I know I do this every time, but you take the time to read and review my story the least I can do is acknowledge it!**

 **Anyway…here's chapter 7!**

 **()()()**

Sometime later Vlad's limousine pulled up into his grand driveway which framed his even grander home. Danny's faced dropped when he looked out of the window as the limo came to a stop, whilst Vlad's face lifted. He gave a fiendish smirk as he relished the thought of having finally returned to his home. He had been tempted to declare "home sweet home," out of relief for himself and bitterness towards Danny. However, when he saw the boy's face he thought better of it and decided to control himself. He had noticed that as the journey had went on, Danny had become quieter and quieter. He was certain that it wasn't simply because the boy had been feeling slightly unwell earlier.

As the driver opened the door and Vlad stepped out, Danny shrunk further and further into his seat. He felt as though the realisations of what he was doing were beginning to hit him. Why on earth was he moving in with his enemy? The same man who had attempted to kill his father and steal away his mother, who put his friends in danger by attracting a bunch of ghost hunters and his minions to Amity Park, who regularly created chaos and injured Danny. He knew that if Sam and Tucker were here they would be yelling and slapping some sense into him right now.

"Come along, Daniel." Vlad spoke, as he waited for the boy to step out. "Let's get all your things in order shall we?"

Danny stared blankly at the billionaire. He couldn't very well run off or start screaming abuse at Vlad, the man could simply catch up to him and drag him back, and he clearly had too high a hand for Danny to start an argument which he would evidently lose. And realistically, Danny had nothing to accuse Vlad of. For once, the man had done nothing wrong, he had even actually been somewhat nice to Danny recently. Naturally, this only raised the boy's suspicions.

"Daniel? Why are you looking at me like that? Come on let's get inside, its bloody cold out here." Vlad snapped.

Danny's eyed widened, he had never heard Vlad swear before. Well, it was as close to swearing as either Vlad or himself got, generally Vlad referred to sweets or biscuits as a substitute for some reason. Nevertheless, Danny slowly stepped out of the limo, trailing his bag and Bearbert with him. Vlad began to walk towards the huge striking doors of the castle. Danny slowly followed, his stomach turning as his discomfort with the whole situation weighed him down. Vlad turned his head occasionally as they walked through the corridors and upstairs, making sure Danny was still there. The boy didn't respond whilst Vlad was telling him where everything was and what room was what, he couldn't disregard that Danny was also still a whiter shade of pale.

Vlad pointed out his room, the master bedroom, as they walked past it. A few feet down the same hall he opened a door to another large bedroom, they walked in. It was a stunning room, with a charming colour scheme of creams, golds and browns. It made a nice change from the general green and gold, clearly Vlad's obsession with The Packer's hadn't lessened any since Danny's last visit. Danny looked around the room in awe. The was a stunning king sized four poster bed with thick pillows and a heavy duvet, a classy dresser and a wardrobe with a mirror which matched the wood and varnish of the bed and two desks, one with an up-to-date laptop on it, the other next to a bookcase. Not to mention the ensuite bathroom, which Danny couldn't see into properly from the angle which he was stood. The room was indeed, very nice to simply look at.

"This will be your room Daniel." Vlad told him, "I hope it is to your liking, of course you can change it and decorate it any way you wish. You have only to say."

Danny didn't reply. Vlad wasn't surprised by this, the boy had been making conversation very difficult for at least the past hour and a half, and he currently did not have the patience to learn why.

"I'll leave you to get settled then." Vlad said finally, "We arrived a little later than I'd hoped so I'll see you down for dinner in about an hour, hm?"

Danny sighed as Vlad closed the bedroom door behind him. He looked around the room again. He couldn't deny that it was a lovely room, but it wasn't his room, it wasn't what he wanted and he didn't want to have anything to do with it. He dropped his bag and Bearbert on to the floor and slid down himself, leaning against the door. He reached into his bag and pulled out the family photo displaying his family and friends.

"I miss you." He whispered, "I don't know what to do." He then buried his head into his knees, trying to block out the surroundings which he found so distressing.

()()()

Vlad had made his way down to his lab, one of the rooms he decided not to show Danny so as not to spark his temptation and curiosity. But then again how would he even get to get it? The lab was connected to his private study, through a secret passage way disguised by the fireplace, so for Danny to be there would be doubly unacceptable. He entered the lab, and was somewhat pleased to see that Skulker was still at his post.

"Impressive. You managed to complete your task and yet my home and lab are still in one piece." Vlad said to the ghost hunter in a dry tone, "Did the Fright Knight return?"

Skulker greeted his employer with his devious grin, "Not since the last time." Skulker said proudly. "I scared him off. So…Where's the whelp?"

"In his room." Vlad said sternly, "And you're to leave him alone Skulker, do you hear? I don't need you winding him up worse than he already is."

"Aw. Is the whelp wound up? Poor little pup!" Scoffed the ghost, "What do you mean 'his room?' He's hardly staying!"

"Well where else is he going to go?" Snapped Vlad.

"Please Plasmius! You two can't stand each other. I'll give it until the end of tomorrow before either you have him by the throat or he's stuffed you into one of his thermoses! You ever been in one of those? It's not very comfortable." Skulker mused.

"He is most certainly not going to 'stuff' me into his ridiculous thermos." Vlad huffed. "And I should like to think I'll have no reason to have him by the throat. Now about the Fright Knight…"

"He wouldn't need to intent on trapping you in a thermos," Skulker interjected. "Who's gonna protect him from me if you're out of the picture?"

"Skulker I swear to-"

"Honestly Plasmius, what I wouldn't give for the ghost boy's pelt on my wall!" Skulker declared, "Ouch!" He shouted as he was met by an ecto-blast.

"I have warned you." Vlad told Skulker darkly, "Do not make me tell you again."

Skulker pulled himself up. "What was that for? I haven't done anything." He snarled angrily.

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to you threaten my charge, Skulker. Now if you're going to continue working for me I need to know that I can trust you around the boy."

"Yeah, whatever." Skulker grumbled. "But if he crosses me…"

"I'll have a word with him." Vlad cut him off. "Now, about Fright Knight, if he attempts to come back here you inform me the minute he gets here. Got it?"

"Sure. But why do you need me here now you're back? And what's Fright Knight after you for anyway?"

"I need you here because I've other things demanding my attention right now. I don't have the time to be standing around waiting for Fright Knight to show up." Vlad explained.

"Wait…didn't you say you would give my job to him if I refused?" Skulker asked in a concerned tone.

"Simply a rouse, Skulker." Smiled Vlad, "No, I have an unsettled dept. with Fright Knight, and he is proving to be rather impatient about it. The sooner it's settled the sooner he can become my ally and we can move on."

"Something tells me that guy may not be interested in an alliance, Plasmius. After all he tried to smash up your lab and I assume by his temper that he wants to smash up you."

"Doubt it. I practically saved him from the Ghost King." Vlad said smugly, completely ignoring Danny from the situation. "Anyway, I'll see you later. I have to go and convince the boy to eat something."

Skulker grinned, "What, first a bedroom and now food? Jeez Plasmius you didn't say you were striving for father of the year!" He called after Vlad as the man walked away. He was disappointed by Vlad ignoring his comment. "If it were me he'd be locked in a cage like the little rat he his." Skulker grumbled under his breath before he began to inspect his blade for hints of rust.

()()()

Vlad approached Danny's room door and knocked, "Daniel, your dinner's ready." He called. He sighed when he got no response, and knocked again. "Daniel?" Lacking in patience, Vlad simply fazed through the door. He raised an eyebrow, concerned slightly when he saw Danny sat against the door with his head buried into his arms and knees.

"Daniel what are you doing? Have you not unpacked yet?" Vlad asked, confused.

"Go away." Danny muffled through his arms, not surprised that Vlad had fazed through the door. Vlad sighed and left again, fazing through the floor this time. He knew better than to try and argue with the boy. Danny lifted his head and looked around in surprise. Vlad had left him alone? He was sure that the man would have dragged him to the kitchen by his shirt collar rather than simply just leave. However a few seconds later, Vlad appeared in the room again after regaining visibility, and was holding a plate of pasta carbonara. Danny's eyes widened at the man.

"I won't normally allow this, but since this has been a tiring day I'll make an exception." Vlad said whilst setting the plate in front of Danny. "And so help you if you spill any of that on the carpet!" He hissed, before reaching out and lifting Danny's duffel bag.

"Hey what are you doing? That's mine!" Danny protested in an almost childish tone.

Vlad sighed at the boy, "Since you did not bother unpacking, I figured I would give you a hand."

"Put it down!" Danny yelled, standing up and grabbing it. Vlad let go of the bag almost immediately, causing Danny to fall backwards on to the floor. Vlad then leaned down to the boy's level.

"Good, now we have an understanding. Eat your dinner, put your things away, get washed, and go to bed. You're exhausted, and you're not helping my energy levels or temperament any. So do what you've been asked, and we can start tomorrow on a brighter note." He said firmly before standing up and leaving Danny alone in the room.

Danny stared after Vlad. He couldn't understand what had just happened, Vlad was forcing him to do stuff, but…he wasn't? Danny shook his head in confusion. He then looked at the pasta carbonara, the food looked extremely tempting. Danny remembered that he hadn't ate in a very long time, and suddenly his hunger pounced on him. He lifted the plate, a few thoughts concerning whether or not Vlad had poisoned it crossed his mind. However, whenever he inhaled the smell of the dish these thoughts vanished and he quickly spooned the food into mouth. Soon the plate was clean and Danny wiped his mouth, feeling satisfied.

Danny then pulled his duffel bag towards him and unzipped it. He really didn't want to unpack it, that would mean that he would have officially moved in with Vlad. But what choice did he have? Danny let out a shaky sigh,

"It's only temporary," he told himself calmly, "its only temporary."

He then set the three photographs he had brought with him around the lamp which sat on one of the bedside tables. He pulled out the few items of clothing he brought and stuffed them in a drawer, along with the Fenton thermos, his model rocket and posters. He didn't feel like pinning them up. Danny then picked up Bearbert Einstein and sat him next to Jazz's photograph. He smiled, it looked 'right'. Once he held the remaining item from the bag, he tossed it aside. He climbed on to the bed and set his parent's pillow in the centre. As he did, he could faintly smell his mother's scent. He couldn't resist burying his head into the pillow and inhaling the comforting smell. A few saddened tears escaped his eyes, so he kept them closed. Very soon, he'd drifted off to sleep.

()()()

After he had eaten, Vlad returned to the lab to speak with Skulker. He found it rather unusual that he and the ghost hunter were able to uphold any form of conversation, as the two of them were nothing alike. However, Vlad found that there were times when he enjoyed the mechanical ghost's company, particularly times like this when he needed a laugh. The hunter and the halfa had been in Vlad's lab for hours now, discussing all sorts. However, it got to the stage were Vlad knew his human body needed to rest, Skulker continued with his banter.

"Now I must be losing my mind, Plasmius." Skulker laughed loudly, "And I know you have said that time and time again, but all I know is one day he was a pirate and the next he was a cowboy! Madness!"

"Hm, yes, very amusing Skulker." Vlad mumbled with disinterest. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow." He said standing up to leave.

"You're going? What for?" Skulker demanded, gutted that his banter was coming to an end.

"Skulker, it's after midnight. I need to sleep, you know that." Vlad told the ghost.

"Hm. That human half of yours sure is a weak spot, Plasmius." Skulker mused.

Vlad smirked at him, "I disagree. I would rather sacrifice a few hours a day for sleep rather than be condemned by the human race and barred from everything they have."

Skulker raised his eyebrows at the half ghost. "Touché."

Vlad flew up to his bedroom, not bothered about walking at this time. He had intended to check on Danny, but this thought had long since left his mind. In fact, he had all but forgotten that the boy was in his home. Little did Vlad know that if he had remembered to check on Danny he would currently find him whinging and shaking on his bed, trapped within his unconscious mind. However, all Vlad had on his mind right now was his luxurious double-king sized bed, his satin sheets, and at least eight hours of non-interrupted sleep.

 _Danny was in darkness. He could see nothing, he could feel nothing. He wasn't even standing on a surface, he was more or less just floating in this sea of darkness. He could hear something though, it was like hissing. It gradually got louder and it made Danny's skin crawl. Eventually the hissing turned into words, and they were spoke out in an evil voice:_

" _I'm coming for you Danny! You can't stop me, I'm inevitable! You're pathetic thermos can't hold me…you don't even know where it is. How foolish but typical of you, you've lost it. So now when I break free, mankind will have you to blame when I unleash my reign of terror. Your pitiful family and friends were easy targets, and you're next. Do not deny me Danny, I will win!"_

 _The voice shrieked as its face appeared. Danny cried out as his vision displayed a pale blue face with black and red eyes, white fangs, and a serpent tongue, threatening him._

Danny's screams could be heard well across the landing. They were certainly loud enough to wake a sleeping Vlad Masters. He stirred and sat up in his bed, slowly making sense of what had wakened him.

"Hm…Daniel." He mumbled sleepily, "What is wrong with him now?"

Vlad got out of his bed and went to inspect the screaming coming out of the boy's room. He was surprised by how increasingly loud it was when he entered Danny's room. Surely if it was a nightmare causing this, his screaming would be loud enough to wake him up? Vlad gasped in shock when he saw the horrifying display of Danny screaming and thrashing around on the bed, it looked like the boy was being tortured by an invisible adversary. Vlad walked over to the bed and firmly caught hold of Danny's wrists.

"Daniel wake up! Wake up!" He shouted, shaking the boy slightly. Vlad also applied heat energy through his hands, hoping that the additional sensory element would help bring Danny into consciousness. Danny's screams stopped abruptly and he sucked in a large gulp of air as his eyes shot open. Much to Vlad's concern, they were glowing green. How had he been using his ghost half when he was asleep?

"Daniel, are you okay?" Vlad asked quietly, still holding on to his wrists. Danny had not made eye contact with Vlad yet, it was as though he didn't know he was there. Suddenly Danny's body jerked violently.

"The thermos!" He cried in panic, "I lost it! Where's the thermos?"

 **()()()**

 **Sorry, I know this isn't a terribly long chapter, I could have kept going but this seemed like a good place to leave off! I'll try to make up for it in the next chapter. Hope you're enjoying it, let me know. Told you I had plans for evil Danny's thermos, ect!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Another update for you, my lovely readers. I hope the story is developing to your liking!**

 **()()()**

Vlad stared at Danny in alarm, still clutching the boy's wrists in hope of containing him. What on earth had got into him? Vlad's only conclusion regarding Danny's behaviour and outburst was that it had to have been a result of his post-traumatic stress disorder. Vlad had completed some of his own research around the condition, in hope that he could better understand it and ultimately be of some help to Danny. He now felt slightly more capable of communicating with the boy at least.

"Daniel?" Vlad repeated in a calm tone, "It's alright my boy, you're safe. It's alright now."

Danny was still rambling barely coherent sentences regarding some lost thermos. After a few seconds he jerked his head, and his eyes returned to their usual icy blue. He looked straight at Vlad, it was as though the 'real' Danny had reclaimed his body and he was lucid again…almost.

"I need to find that thermos!" He shouted loudly at Vlad, before snatching his wrists free of the man's grip and leaping out of the bed. Before Vlad could turn around Danny had already fled the room.

"Goin' ghost!" He cried, jumping up and transforming. He then turned intangible and dived through the floor. Vlad sighed irritably when he walked out into the hallway and discovered that Danny had vanished. He knew that it didn't take a genius to guess where the boy might be headed.

Naturally Vlad transformed also, and likewise slipped through the floor with the intention of cutting Danny off. He quickly reformed in front of the entrance to his lab, just as Danny was about to fly into it. Subsequently the young halfa barged straight into Plasmius, having not expected him to appear. He knocked both himself and Plasmius backward, tumbling into the lab having fazed through the 'secret' fireplace entrance. Skulker leapt up in surprise at the sudden commotion which just entered the lab. He smirked when he saw the two half ghosts lying in heap and struggling against one another.

"Daniel, what do you think you are doing?" Plasmius demanded, trying to pin his younger opponent.

"Get off me Plasmius!" Danny yelled, "I need to get into the Ghost Zone!"

"The only place you're going you little rat, is back to bed! Do you have any idea how insane you're acting?" Plasmius reprimanded.

"Says the crazy, mixed up, fruitloop!" Danny retorted, "Now back off!"

Danny manged to kick Plasmius back long enough to escape his grasp, only to slam into Skulker, having not realised his presence before now.

"Skulker?" Danny cried in astonishment.

"Hello, ghost child." Greeted Skulker, as he slowly reached for his blade.

"Skulker, leave him be." Ordered Plasmius, "And Daniel get upstairs now."

"No! I need to get to the Ghost Zone and you're not going to stop me." Danny declared, beginning to raise himself off the ground.

"Wanna bet?" Skulker growled threateningly, doing the same.

"Daniel you are not going anywhere near the Ghost Zone. You have no business there and even if you did I would be foolish to let you go wondering around there, considering that only a few moments ago you were rambling nonsense and practically in a psychotic state." Plasmius affirmed.

"What do you know about my business, Plasmius?" Danny hissed at the man, "This has nothing to do with you so back off!"

Skulker squared up further to the young half ghost, "You seem to forgot who you are dealing with here, whelp!"

Plasmius gathered his thoughts for a second whilst Skulker averted Danny's attention.

"Alright Daniel," Plasmius called, both ghosts turned and looked at him, "If you tell me what your intentions are in the Ghost Zone, I'll not stand in your way."

Skulker raised his eyebrows at Plasmius, was he actually reasoning with the ghost child? Danny also stared at the older halfa, stupefied by the man's offer. However, he still felt no obligation to share with Vlad the reasons why he needed to go into the Ghost Zone.

"Forget it Plasmius, I don't need to tell you anything and you are not going to stand in my way!" Danny yelled, before darting towards the man's ghost portal. However Skulker was equally as fast, and caught hold of Danny's arm. He then reached out and shocked him with the Plasmius Maximus which he held in his other free hand. Danny cried out in pain and shock as he felt the adapted electricity travel through his nervous system. He quickly reverted back to his human form, and Skulker dropped him on the floor.

Plasmius also returned to his human form, and sighed at the mechanical ghost. "Was that really necessary, Skulker?"

"What? Isn't that basic parenting, punishing the child when he does not comply?" Skulker retorted, putting on an innocent tone.

Vlad choose to ignore his sarcastic comment and walked over to the weakened Danny, who was struggling to stand. "Come on Daniel, let's get you upstairs." Vlad said, trying to steady the boy.

"Gerrroff!" Danny mumbled, in defeated protest. Vlad took Danny's arm and began to walk him out of the lab.

"Hey Plasmius, when you're ready to call it a day, I've got a nice cage with that little rat's name on it!" Skulker called after them, laughing. Vlad gave the ghost hunter a heated glare, choosing not to respond.

()()()

Vlad sat Danny down at the dining table and swiftly retrieved him a glass of water. Danny downed the glass in a matter of seconds, feeling relief from the coldness as it travelled down his throat. He was still feeling a little hazy from receiving the shock from the Plasmius Maximus. He noticed that Vlad was still hovering and he gave him a very dark scowl.

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that, Daniel." Vlad said, "If you had only cooperated then Skulker wouldn't have felt the need to interfere like he did. But then again, cooperation just doesn't comply with you does it? Your teenage stubbornness puts a strain on it very nicely."

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" Danny demanded, "You don't own me Plasmius, and get this straight, you never will."

"Oh for goodness sake, why can't you just accept that I might be willing to help you Daniel? Did you stop to think that you were putting yourself in danger by intending on simply flying through the Ghost Zone? And I will inform you, once again, that where danger is concerned with you, I have a legal obligation to interfere." Vlad snapped at the boy.

"Well I don't want or need you to!" Danny yelled back.

"Oh, that's where you're very wrong, my boy. I believe you need help more than ever. So, I'll start by asking what I already know about," Vlad began, sitting down on a chair opposite Danny, "What is this 'lost thermos' you were referring to, hm? You off chasing ghosts even in your nightmares Daniel? How very sad."

Danny scowled further at the man, having been condescended. "It's not just some dream, Plasmius. It's a real thermos with a very powerful ghost inside it, and if he gets out everyone is going to be in danger! So I need to find Clockwork and-"

Danny cut himself off. Vlad raised his eyebrows at the boy. Danny knew the jig was up now, now that Vlad knew that he was trying to find and engage with the spirit of time, he would really put his foot down now! The boy sat in silence and turned his head away, bracing himself for Vlad's response.

"Daniel…who's Clockwork?" Vlad questioned

Danny immediately turned himself back and stared at Vlad in disbelief. He had never heard of Clockwork? How was that possible? Well, it was true that Danny himself had only recently heard of the time master, but Vlad had been half ghost for twenty years now and he was always roaming around the Ghost Zone and up to no good. Surely at some point during all this time Vlad would have encountered Clockwork, or at least come across his tower? Still, the fact that Vlad didn't know who he was gave Danny the opportunity to backtrack, and prevent Vlad from learning anything else.

"Erm…No one. I-I don't know, I'm not thinking straight, Skulker must have had that shock thingy on a high voltage." Danny mumbled, rubbing his head for effect.

Vlad smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, please. Daniel did you honestly think you could fool me with that? You are a terrible liar, my boy."

Danny frowned at the man, "It's the truth! He must have shocked me twice as high as you did that time in the woods. I'm surprised I didn't die!"

"Quit getting off the subject boy, who is Clockwork?" Vlad demanded.

Danny sat and looked at the man for a few seconds, trying to think up a more convincing lie. However he was distracted by his ghost sense going off. Vlad sensed it too,

"Skulker, what are you doing here?" Vlad commanded at thin air. Skulker appeared from behind Danny's chair and give both halfa's a crafty smirk. Before he had time to answer Vlad's question, Vlad continued on,

"Never mind. Have you seen or heard of a ghost known as Clockwork?" He asked his employee.

Danny held his breath, Skulker raised an eyebrow, "Clockwork? What kind of name is that? No I don't know any ghosts by that name, and believe me Plasmius, I get around the Ghost Zone. Why? Is the whelp setting you up?" Skulker asked, squaring up to a sullen Danny.

"It would seem so." Vlad answered, "Did you want something, Skulker?"

"Huh? Oh yes. Fright Knight is here." Skulker responded casually.

"What?" Yelled Vlad, disbelieving the horrendously poor timing.

"Yeah, he's about to break through your portal any-"

Skulker was cut off by a loud flaming black and purple ghost horse barging into the room, with his owner, the Fright Knight riding it and waving his sword as though he had charged on to a battle field. Vlad's jaw dropped out of shock over Fright Knight's unexpected arrival, Danny shrunk into his chair slightly, aware that he was currently powerless and therefore defenceless. Skulker watched the events before him, only slightly intrigued by the Fright Knight.

"Vlad Plasmius!" Bellowed the Fright Knight.

"Fright Knight." Vlad greeted calmly, transforming as he did so.

"Plasmius, you have been avoiding me for too long," declared the Fright Knight, "I have no choice but to-"

Fright Knight stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of Danny. Danny froze, wondering if his death would be fast or slow.

"The-The ghost child!" Cried Fright Knight. He leapt down from his stallion and threw himself down on the floor in front of Danny. Skulker and Plasmius's jaws dropped in shock by Fright Knights actions. Danny's eyes widened and he pulled his feet up on to the chair, trying to distance himself from the ghost.

"Ghost child, you saved us all! You defeated Pariah Dark! I am forever in your dept." Fright Knight declared.

"Uh…" Danny mumbled in confusion. Did this guy forget that only a few months ago he had attacked and terrorised his town on Halloween night? Plasmius scowled, feeling somewhat underrated, as he had convinced the Fright Knight to leave the Ghost King's side and gather the other ghosts to help defeat him. In fact it had been he who had locked the sarcophagus when Danny had closed him in! He was just as responsible for defeating Pariah Dark as Danny was, surely? Plasmius walked over to the bowing Fright Knight and cleared his throat.

"You came to see me, did you not?" Plasmius asked, wondering if he would regret bringing it up. The Fright Knight stood up.

"Ah, yes. I believe you owe me a favour Vlad Plasmius." He stated, "But I must ask, why is the ghost child here at your abode?"

Plasmius glanced at Danny, knowing that sharing his story would be painful for him to hear, and he also probably didn't want his business spread around the Ghost Zone.

"Well, due to unfortunate recent events the ghost child has been subjected to staying with me." Plasmius answered simply.

"You have taken in the one who defeated The Ghost King?" Fright Knight bellowed with astonishment. "I thought you were selfish and conceited Vlad Plasmius, clearly I've misjudged you."

Plasmius frowned from learning what Fright Knight's first impressions had been of him. Danny frowned because he couldn't believe that Fright Knight thought his first impressions of Plasmius had been incorrect. Skulker smirked because he found this whole situation hilarious.

"If you are assisting the ghost child Plasmius, consider your dept. with me cleared." The Fright Knight continued. He then looked at Danny also, "I will forever be at both your services." The ghostly knight then mounded his horse and fled the room, returning to presumably the Ghost Zone. The remaining ghost and half ghosts stayed in silence for a few seconds after he left, comprehending the strange event which had just taken place.

()()()

"I'd say you got off pretty lightly there, Plasmius." Skulker said to his employer a few minutes later, "What a nut job!"

"That guy hated my guts not that long ago," Danny pondered out loud, "I can't believe he didn't try to waste me!"

"Yes, well these things happen when you're dealing with diluted medieval ghosts." Plasmius responded in an almost bitter tone.

"Easy Plasmius," Skulker said, "its comments like that that destroy newly formed alliances!"

"Quite right." Plasmius commented. "Well Skulker, it seems I no longer require you're services at present time. Why don't you head back to the Ghost Zone for the time being? I'll be in touch."

"You better. We need to discuss the subject of my payment!" Skulker smirked, as he prepared to leave.

"Of course. Oh, and whilst you're there, why don't you keep an eye out for Daniel's mystery ghost, Clockwork?" Plasmius laughed, setting a hand on a scowling Danny's shoulder.

"Haha! Yeah right!" Skulker called as he headed to the lab to exist via the portal.

Plasmius reformed into his human half and continued to smirk at Danny, "I must say Daniel, you must have quite interesting dreams to have come up with that one!"

Danny clenched his fists in anger, tired of feeling patronised and humiliated, "It wasn't a dream! He is real!" Danny was not going to take this argument lying down. He already had intentions of taking Fright Knight up on his offer, and asking him for help with locating Clockwork's tower in the Ghost Zone. Fright Knight had been around for a really long time, surely he would know something?

Vlad gave Danny a cold stare, and walked closer to the boy. "Really? Because just before Fright Knight showed up, you were trying your best to deny his existence." Danny gulped, realising he had been badly caught out.

"Stop lying to me Daniel! Tell me what is going on!" Vlad loudly demanded.

"No, it's nothing to do with you!" Danny argued.

Vlad glared at Danny, "You can't hide from me here Daniel, sooner or later I will find out what's going on with you so you may as well make it easier for both of us. I don't know if you're aware of just how severe your mental health condition is, but if you wish to continue to drive yourself crazy then be my guest! It'll make my life much easier having you locked away in an asylum."

"I'm not crazy!" Danny shouted.

"Oh you're not? Daniel, you've only been rambling about some 'lost thermos' and a magic ghost called Clockwork who no one has heard of. Now, you have been in hospital previous to being here, so how on earth would you have encountered this ghost or lost this thermos?" Vlad challenged.

"You don't understand." Danny debated. "It was before that…it was during the accident that it was all happening."

Vlad stared at Danny for a few seconds, thinking about what the boy had just said. "You're quite right Danny, I don't understand." Vlad sat down on a chair, "Could you tell me what happened?"

Danny didn't really want to relive it, but he knew it was the only way he could get Vlad off his back. It was clear the man was digging hard, he even called him Danny instead of Daniel.

"Well there was this ghost, this really evil ghost. I was trying to stop him, because if I didn't he was going to terrorise the human world and ghost world. It was because of him that I couldn't save them in time…I caught him but he had tied them to the boiler. The explosion knocked me out…and that's how I lost the thermos." Danny explained sadly. "Do you get it now? I have to find that thermos and keep it safe, who knows what could happen if that ghost escaped."

Vlad sighed deeply. He honestly did not know how to respond to the boy, for that certainly was not the answer he was expecting. "Is…Is that really what you think happened, Daniel?" Vlad asked him calmly.

"Yes. Of course it's what happened! Do you really think I would have just let them die?" Danny yelled.

"No, but…but what makes you think that a ghost attacked, that he tied them to…to the boiler did you say?" Vlad asked, "Why your friends and family, why not anyone else at the Nasty Burger?"

"What are you talking about, Plasmius? No one else was there, Just mom, dad, Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Mr. Lancer." Danny snapped.

"Mr. Lancer? Daniel, who is Mr. Lancer?" Vlad queried, his confusion increasing.

"Jeez Plasmius! Didn't you read the paper?" Danny shouted, "Lancer was my teacher. He was meeting my parent's at the Nasty Burger to talk about my C.A.T test, because he knew I cheated. Jazz went along to try and defend me, and Sam and Tucker were trying to cover for me while I fought the ghost. Everyone else had ran away from the place because the ghost had showed up and that's why they were the only ones who got attacked and killed."

Vlad looked sadly at Danny, "Daniel, your story doesn't make any sense."

"It's not a story you twisted weirdo, it's what happened!" Danny yelled in frustration.

"No Daniel, it's not." Vlad said calmly. "You're friends and family weren't the only ones who perished in the accident. There were ten other citizens plus staff who were there at the time of the explosion. And Daniel, there had been no ghost sighting and no one named Lancer was identified."

Danny's eyes widened in horror, "No, no that doesn't make sense! That's not what happened, Lancer-"

"Lancer spoke at Jazz's memorial service Daniel. He is very much alive, and as for that spiel about you cheating on your C.A.T, not only does that exam take place in summer, we are currently in February, but you wouldn't have it in you to cheat on a test!" Vlad argued.

"No! No, you're lying I need to find that thermos. Clockwork has it! He took it when I was unconscious, he-"

"Daniel, Daniel slow down. Do you hear what you are saying? Clockwork took it when you were unconscious? Think about it, how would you know that he took it and that he has it if you were unconscious when he did so?" Vlad gently challenged the boy." Daniel, don't you see what you have done? Your mind has made up fictional memories about the accident and events supposedly leading up to it to help you cope with your loss. Sadly I think it's done the opposite, and you have horribly distorted the facts. You've made yourself believe that you failed them and you didn't save them, when realistically you were a victim yourself. You stunned the doctors Daniel, no one understood how you survived. It was your ghost half that helped you to hold on."

Danny stared at Vlad in utter shock and disbelief. There was no way he made it up! Vlad was probably trying to make him crazy and confuse him. Danny decided that he would have to tell Vlad about the origins of the evil ghost, maybe then he would understand the seriousness of the situation.

"No Vlad, you're wrong. The ghost…the ghost that attacked, it was me. Well it was us, future us. On a different timeline you ripped out my ghost an then it ripped out yours and it fused together and became really really evil and-"

"Daniel no, no stop. What you're saying never happened. Think about it. Different timelines, future evil you, me ripping out your ghost half? Do you honestly belief that any on that is possible?" Vlad asked gently.

Danny was silent for a few seconds. "But…But Clockwork-"

"He doesn't exist Daniel. None of those things do. You've completely distorted everything and you've been having these irrational flashbacks, it's a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. The psychologist was right." Vlad explained.

He noticed that Danny was beginning to tear up, and he felt a pang of sympathy for the boy, it had been a lot to take in. Vlad also felt guilty that he had been the one to set Danny straight, and yet confuse him further. Vlad gently placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"But it's going to be okay," He said gently, "You don't have to worry about those things anymore. We'll get things sorted out for you."

Danny looked at Vlad, he couldn't take this pain. He felt like he had been living a lie, what else had he made up? Feeling confused and broken, he gave up and collapsed against Vlad, leaning against him whilst Vlad put a comforting arm around him. Vlad tried his best to try and soothe the boy, but he felt incredibly out of his depth. What was he going to do now?

 **()()()**

 **Phew! That was an eventful chapter! What do you think of that little twist I threw in there? I knew I'm really screwing the TUE storyline but I'm trying to be original. Anyway I hope I haven't confused anyone too much, I've confused myself if that helps! Let me know what your thoughts are and I shall return with another update soon-all being well!**

 **xseriouslyx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello fellow Phans! Sorry it's been awhile, if only my life revolved around the DP world then I could update sooner. Sadly, this is not the case, life is too demanding right now! So I'm sorry to bring this story to an abrupt end, this not what I intended and I hope you are not too mad at me!**

 **Here is the final chapter to No Second Chances.**

 **()()()**

 _Four Years Later…_

Danny stepped out of the limousine and gazed at the NASA facility before him, taking it all in. It had been only a dream for so long, the reality of it was taking a while to sink in. Vlad Master's stepped out of the other the side of the limo. He walked around and stood beside Danny, Squinting from the brightness of the vast Florida sun.

"Isn't it great?" Danny asked the man absentmindedly.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the younger man. "No greater than what it was six months ago when you visited the open day." Vlad answered.

Danny smirked at the man. "Come on Vlad, even you have to admit this place is pretty awesome."

"Well, it's no Madison University, but if it keeps you occupied and out of that Ghost Zone for a change then who am I to argue?"

Danny looked the billionaire and frowned. Vlad had been more sour and snippy than usual the past few days. Danny was aware that he could easily push Vlad's buttons, and did get under the man's skin on an occasional basis. However, Danny couldn't think of anything he'd done recently to annoy the man. In fact, he'd been too preoccupied with packing and preparing himself to begin his astronaut training to cause any trouble. Danny turned and hulled his cases out of the limo, Vlad didn't move an inch to offer any assistance. Danny shrugged it off, even though he knew this was very unlike Vlad. Usually the man was overbearingly involved. Danny wasn't sure what had knocked Vlad into this foul mood, but he was certain he wasn't going to let it ruin the day he'd been dreaming of his whole life.

()()()

Vlad followed Danny whilst he registered and found his way to his dorm room, not once uttering a word even though the younger halfa was chatting away to him enthusiastically. Less than a couple hours later Danny had finished unpacking and sorting his room.

"Well, what do you think?" Danny asked, turning towards Vlad and smiling.

Vlad's dull expression didn't break. "Hm, it's marvellous." He replied sarcastically.

"Alright what is with you?" Danny snapped, "You've been in a terrible mood all day. All week even! Have I done something to annoy you?"

Surprisingly, Vlad chuckled at Danny's minor outburst. "You can't tell, why am I not surprised?"

"So I have done something?" Danny asked scowling, "What?"

Vlad glared at Danny. "After everything I've done for you this is how you repay me. You go and run off without a care in the world!"

"What are you talking about?" Danny demanded. "I'm leaving for college, I'm finally going to make something of myself. I thought you'd be happy. I even got in on my own merit remember? I got that scholarship."

"A scholarship awarded by the private school which I paid for." Vlad said coldly. "Admit it Daniel, you could never have achieved all this before I stepped in and you know it. Moving away from your pathetic little home town was the best thing that happened to you."

Danny jerked back slightly, hurt by what the older man had just said to him. He could feel his fists involuntarily tighten. "Don't go there Vlad. I don't want to argue with you, and I don't get why you're so upset. You always said that you wanted to help me, now you resent me for it?"

Vlad sighed upon hearing the confusion and hurt in Danny's voice. "I don't resent you, Daniel. And I don't regret taking you in. But I'm angry that you're throwing it all back in my face. You could have stayed in Wisconsin and studied at Madison. You could have worked alongside me and taken over my companies when I retired. You could have had everything you ever wanted Daniel. Yet you're choosing to run off and fulfil some childish dream of becoming a spaceman. I'm sure you'll probably return to pathetic little Amity Park when you graduate, fix up your old misshapen house and work at the space centre in Axion Labs. Not to mention return to your little ghost fighting job! If there's one thing I could never fix with you Daniel, it was your ridiculous hero complex."

Danny stared sadly at Vlad. Would all of that be such a bad thing? He couldn't help but feel upset that Vlad did not share the happiness he felt at finally fulfilling his dreams. Realistically, he knew he owed a lot of his success to Vlad. Danny thought back to how Vlad had taken him in, had been patient and comforting when he was grieving for the loss of his family, friends and home. He even helped Danny to overcome his mental illness of post-traumatic stress disorder, helped him through it all and made it okay again. It was as if Danny had been in the dark and Vlad turned on the light, had been broken and Vlad put the pieces back together. Danny knew that it was true, without Vlad's care, help and protection, Danny would not be here right now. He had seen a different side to Vlad Masters which no one knew existed, the side that proved he had a heart. Danny had grown to really like this side of him. The side he was seeing right now, unfortunately, demonstrated the side which reminded Danny of what he had been like when he first met him.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Vlad." Danny said quietly, "I am grateful for everything you've done for me, really, I just haven't had the chance to say it yet. I didn't know that you wanted all of that stuff for me, but honestly Vlad, I couldn't do it anyway. That's who you are, not me. And I can't live in your shadow forever Vlad, I can be your apprentice. I still have to live my own life."

Vlad looked at Danny, thinking for a few minutes. He always knew that Danny had the potential to grow up well and make something great of himself. He knew he should feel proud and share in the boy's success. However, the sting of Danny leaving him was overpowering these positive feelings. Vlad knew deep down that he didn't want Danny to leave, he cared too much about him now and he was such a huge part of his life. But Danny was over eighteen now, and had no reason to stay in Wisconsin if he didn't want to. He was now free to live his life and make his own decisions, much to Vlad's dismay.

However, Vlad did feel proud of Danny. Deep down he was pleased to see his charge so happy, considering how hurt he was when Vlad first took him in. Vlad felt lucky to have helped him grow up and have had such a good impact on his life as he had on his. Vlad was aware that his anger was all directed at how much he was going to miss him. But he could never let Danny know this.

Vlad sighed, "I know." He finally replied.

He then outreached his hand to Danny, as a peace offering and a farewell. Danny looked at it for a few seconds, then threw his arms around Vlad's neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Vlad did not reject this embrace, and contently appreciated it for several seconds.

"You know something Vlad, I think you'll miss me." Danny smirked as he pulled away.

"Hm. Speaking of miss, you better not miss any of your classes or training, I know what you're like Daniel Fenton. You won't have me to keep you right anymore." Vlad responded, as he turned to leave. Then he paused for a second "Take care of yourself Daniel." He said before he walked out the door.

Danny followed and stood at the doorway. "Hey Fruitloop," He called after Vlad down the corridor, who turned around with a scowl, "See you at Christmas?" Danny asked with a smile.

"I'm counting on it, you little rat!" Vlad called back with a smirk. He'd never even considered the possibility that Danny would want to visit him.

()()()

As Vlad existed the training facility, he wondered what adventures would lie ahead for Danny, secretly praying that he would be okay. As he sat in the limo and headed for the airport, he felt the sting of knowing he would be returning to a huge empty house. He knew he had grown too fond and attached to having Danny around, now it was coming back to bite him. Although he had already began plotting another scheme involving one the lost treasures hidden within the Ghost Zone. That would keep him busy at least. He admitted o himself that even though there were advantages to having Danny around Vlad realised now that he had severely mis-judged the time and effort it took to raise a teenager! There was no doubt the boy had a handful, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

()()()

 **So there you have it, my faithful readers. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I want to apologise again for cutting the story short, I planned to include the process of Danny overcoming the PTSD, finally bonding with Vlad and moving on. Please don't be mad at me! A huge thank you for picking my story, and especially to those of you who have followed/favourited and reviewed. It has meant a lot to me, and I hope I haven't let you down with the premature ending.**

 **So long for now…**

 **xseriouslyx**


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